


Rodeo Road

by keepthepeacee



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/F, F/M, M/M, Monsters on the Surface, Named Reader, Oc Reader - Freeform, Past Abuse, Post-Pacifist Route, Potentially may remake this without names later, Reader Is Not Frisk, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, cowboy sans will be a thing, emotional stuff, expect smut at some point, i'm running out of bullshit names, there will probably be smut, this is a weird story but it needed to happen, what is my life anymore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-07-12 04:52:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7086250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepthepeacee/pseuds/keepthepeacee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Living life on the road was hard. You didnt have many friends and you'd learned not to get too attached to many people. But what happens when monsters start weaseling their way into your life? Welcome to the life as a rodeo girl. It's a new season bound to be full of new adventures and new friends... maybe even a new love affair? Who knows! Anything can happen on the rodeo road!</p><p>I'll be adding tags to this as I go :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Frenchmens Boogieboy

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I first and foremost want to apologize. This story is incredibly random. But for all of you out there who like horses, you'll love this. I just really wanted to write something kinda self-insert. I also know a lot of you dont like the main character to have a name... but it was really hard to write this without giving her a name. So I hope that's okay. I expect to keep this decently updated. It's already become something I'm very passionate about writing. Also I'm sorry the first chapter is so short, these will be getting a bit longer as we go!

_I worked all week._  
_Cleaned up clean cut and clean shaved._  
_I got the cover off the '68._  
_I fire it up and let them horses sing._  
_A little pretty thing._  
_A little tan-legged Georgia dream._  
_She’s a rockin’ them holey jeans._  
_Baby what you got goin’ on Saturday?_  
_You know words got it there’s gonna be a party_  
_Out of town about half a mile._  
_Four wheel drives and big mud tires._  
_Muscadine wine_

_Oh baby you can find me._  
_In the back of a jacked up tailgate._  
_Sittin’ ‘round watchin’ all these pretty things._  
_Get down in that Georgia clay._  
_And I’ll find peace._  
_At the bottom of a real tall cold drink._  
_I'm chillin' to some Skynyrd and some old Hank._  
_Let's get this thing started._  
_It’s my kinda party._

Music carried throughout the makeshift barn as you pushed the stall door before you open, stepping inside with a sigh. Inside of the box, the large four legged creature lifted his head to greet you with a mouthful of hay, ears pricked. Shrugging the halter and lead from your shoulder, you quickly catch and contain the golden beast before you, tying the rope halter onto his face before opening the door once more.

The music becomes quieter for a moment, as a voice carries over the loudspeaker.

**“Ally Baxter - 16.864”**

Stepping from the stall, you give a gentle tug of encouragement on your lead, your steed lazily following you out of the stall. You glance up at the speaker, your heart fluttering gently in your chest as you run a hand over the gelding’s shoulder.

“Times are pretty fast tonight, boy. Think we can take them?”

The sooty palomino responded by sneezing rather loudly, before rubbing his face on the front of the stall as you tied him lazily to the bars. This handsome beast had been your best friend and partner for the last four years, all through high school rodeo and he’d won you numerous titles and belt buckles. Now that you’d graduated, you were on the actual road, running with the big boys. Top of the first division… what more could you want?

You grabbed for your grooming box, grasping for a rubber curry and a soft brush. Not like you had to actually brush your guy too much, he was thankfully a rather clean horse… but he’d covered himself in shavings from laying down during the day. Gently running the curry over his flank in circles, you find yourself drifting off into thought before being startled once again by the speaker.

**“Samantha Johnson - 17.152”**

Times were definitely fast tonight. You’d have to hit a low 16 to stay on top of the first division. As long as Pistol was on top of his game tonight, you’d be fine. Exhaling a slow breath, you run the soft brush over his coat, flattening the golden hairs back into place before dropping the brushes back into the box and grabbing for the hair brush. You made quick work on detangling the gelding’s mane, before moving to his incredibly thick tail. You silently curse his distant pleasure lines for how thick this thing is as you gently brush out any knots.

It takes you several minutes to finish his tail before you hurry up and braid his long cream colored mane. You know if you don’t you’ll just end up tearing out a handful during your run… and frankly you liked his mane far too much to destroy it like that.

Twenty minutes later, you step back, satisfied with your work. Several more names and times have played over the speakers, and you’re pleased to hear that there’s a big drag coming up after the next run. Good, this’ll give you time to get tacked up and warm Pistol up before your run.

Just as you’re about to turn around and grab for your tack you hear the sound of hoof-beats coming down the aisleway. Knowing you’ll need to move Pistol out of the way, you look up to see who was walking towards you. You can't help but be slightly surprised to see one of the very few monsters currently on the circuit walking towards you.

She’s a tall, green monster made entirely out of fire and you can't help but secretly wish for a horse like hers. That filly must be bombproof to be totally cool with a literal fire on their back. Surprisingly enough, she stops at the stall beside yours, and flashes a smile towards you as she reaches for her halter.

“Still getting used to monsters on the circuit I take it?”

Her voice was gentle, like a crackling fire in a fire place. You feel blush creeping into your cheeks as you reach for your saddle pad, trying to preoccupy yourself before you answer.

“Uh.. Yeah, sorry about that. It’s been really neat having you guys around.”

You tried your best to hide the shyness in your voice as you tossed your saddle pad up onto Pistol’s back, adjusting it into place on his shoulders before turning to grab your saddle. You grabbed the treeless saddle and tossed it easily up onto his back, setting it gently onto place on top of the saddle pad.

The flame girl unbridled her grey mare and tied her to the stall, hanging her bridle on the rack in front of her stall. She then stepped over to you and Pistol, running a hand gently over his neck. Surprisingly enough, he didn't even flinch. As she neared you, you could feel a gentle heat radiating from her, it was warm and comforting.

“By the way, my name is Fuku, and this is Evelyn.”

She made a motion towards the mare. You smiled.

“I’m Morgan… and this is Frenchmans Boogieboy… I call him Pistol.”

Patting the gelding on the flank, you moved around his right side to unhook your breast collar and girth which were hooked up so as not to drag on the ground. Letting them fall, you adjust them slightly to make sure they won't be twisted when you cinch him up. Running the breast collar across his chest, the custom made teal and white hide shining against the light. The conchos on your set glimmer brightly as you hook it up on the left side of the saddle and clip your wither strap in place.

Fuku steps back out of your way and smiles at you before returning to her horse and starting the reverse process of what you’re doing. She flips her stirrup up over the saddle and uncinches her saddle, allowing the girth to drop before unclipping the breast collar and her backstrap from it. She quickly undoes her buckstrap and allows it to fall as well, before calling to you from over her horse.

“You running soon?”

Bending down and grabbing your cinch, you pull it up under Pistol’s girth and begin looping the girth strap through the buckle as you straighten back up before answering.

“Yeah, I’m in the second drag after the big drag. Hoping for a clean run, times have been fast tonight.”

You glance over your shoulder. She’d pulled her hat off and put it on the hay bale in front of her stall. You could see the flames on top of her head flickering gently. She’s a very radiant monster, you had to admit. Fuku unhooks Evelyn’s breast collar, letting it fall before moving to the mare’s other side and clipping all of the loose equipment up onto the saddle.

“The arena’s really nice though. Dirt isn't too deep and the ground is fast. I think you’ll have a really good run!”

She grinned at you, before hoisting her saddle off of Evelyn’s back and putting it on the saddle rack. The pad followed suit soon after and in a few moments she was leaning down to take the mare’s boots off.

“Well that’s good to hear. I’m just hoping we keep them all up tonight. Pistol has been a hot mess lately.”

You sighed. The last few weeks had been a bit of a wreck. You’d trampled the third barrel at the rodeo last weekend, and the two before that he just didn't want to run. You quickly did up your back cinch and hooked the last few clips that were undone. Bending down, you grabbed for Pistol’s protective leg boots, bright turquoise in color, and began putting them on. One leg at a time until all four were tightly secured. You finished off the look with his turquoise bell boots, which protected him from pulling a shoe… he was an over-stepper after all.

Stepping back to admire your work, you took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. This was not the time for nerves. It was time to go get ready for this run. You grabbed for your hat box, pulling from it an antique white cowboy hat, the underside of the brim painted several shades of blue ranging from turquoise to navy in a swirling, galaxy like pattern. Tucking your teal plaid rodeo shirt into your pants, you adjusted your belt buckle and smiled. Time to get this show on the road.

Grabbing for Pistol’s bridle, you slip his halter off his face, pressing the bit to his mouth which he gladly accepts before you pull the leather strap up over his ears and adjust it into place. Lacing the teal and black reins over your arm, you turn to smile at Fuku, who waves at you.

“Have a good run! I’ll most likely be there to watch!”

She beamed at you, before you led Pistol down the aisle towards the practice arena.


	2. Just Three Turns then Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to get in the arena and make your run. Will you keep all three barrels up, or will you crack under the pressure?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, Thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for the kudos and comments! I didnt expect this to get any response at all to be completely honest. It's such a random idea... I just didnt think anyone would like it. I figured I'd be writing it to satisfy myself more than anything else. You guys are so freaking amazing. 
> 
> So, I didnt expect to release this so soon, but I've been writing like crazy. I pulled an all nighter last night and wrote both chapters 1 and 2. I'm already writing the third chapter as well... My mind doesnt want to stop with this! I'm hoping that's a good thing! 
> 
> Also, for those of you who may be wondering what Pistol looks like, for a reference or anything else, here's a [link](http://prntscr.com/bcggtm) to the closest photo I could find for a reference. Yes, he does have all those white markings: Four white socks and a blaze!

_She's got scars, wounds that never mend_  
_Still cries for Credit Card and what those thieves and cowards did to him_  
_She's been bucked and threw a time or two, landed on her face_  
_But she gets up, dusts off and enters that next race_  
_She keeps hanging on, to the dream she's always known_  
_For the glory, damn the pain, holds it all within them reins_  
_She is country tough and there's no giving up_  
_From her boots down to her precious Laddie Go_  
_Her heart is a rodeo_

  
_She plays it to the bone, gives her all, even when that barrel tips and falls_  
_Taught to always hold that head up high and tall_  
_All leads up to the time they make, with every step that wild horse takes_  
_It's a gamble, she can handle cause He's her leap of faith_  
_She keeps hanging on, to the dream she's always known_  
_For the glory, damn the pain, holds it all within them reins_  
_She is country tough and there's no giving up_  
_From her boots down to her precious Laddie Go_  
_Her heart is a rodeo_

 

The sounds of the tractors in the main arena fill your ears as you do a quick once over of your tack before tightening your girth. You only had about 10 more runs before it was your turn to go. Positioning yourself against Pistol’s left shoulder, you grab the stirrup, lifting your left foot into the metal stirrup before grabbing your saddle horn and hoisting yourself into the saddle. 

The gelding patiently stood as you adjusted yourself into the saddle. Gently clutching the reins in your right hand, you move him off into a brisk walk around the practice arena. Eyes shift around the ring. Several others were here as well, getting ready for their runs or cooling down their horses. 

Taking in a breath, you nudged Pistol into a trot, posting to his stride and encouraging his head down into a comfortable frame. Thank god you had one of the easiest horses on the circuit. Some of these horses required over an hour of warm up. Not Pistol… he was good old faithful. Quick to warm up and even quicker to cool down. 

Placing both hands on the reins you lift your inside hand, encouraging the colt to bend to the inside. Over the next several minutes you flex the gelding several different ways, making sure he’s nice and loose for your run. Sitting deeply in your saddle, Pistol sits to a halt immediately. You change direction and repeat the exercises, before stopping him once more and moving to the farthest area of the rail to find an area to extend him a bit.

Collecting your reins a bit, you lean forward just a hair, scooping your outside leg against Pistol’s side. The gelding responds by jumping gently into a rocking canter. You let him gently canter around the arena before circling a few times, getting his brain ready for the pattern. All the while the speakers continued to read off the times. Before you knew it, you were jerked back to reality by the speakers.

**“Jackie Watson - 16.486. Next in is Amanda Smith, on deck is Jessica Moody, and in the hole is Morgan Hemingway”**

Shit. You’re up in three runs. You briskly turn Pistol across the centerline, changing direction and finishing your warmup. Sitting deeply, the colt comes to a halt. You move him towards the pen. Bringing the gelding to a halt near the gate, you take a ragged breath. Not now nerves. Please.

They say when you’re no longer afraid of getting in the ring is when you need to stop running. But you hated the anxiety before a run. Your heart was practically pounding in your throat. You lean down, checking your girth.

**“Amanda Smith - 18.145”**

Satisfied that your girth is tight, you settle back into your saddle and scan the crowd. It’s nighttime, and everything but the arena is dark. You absolutely loved running at night in outdoor pens. The way the arena lights beamed down over the arena just gave you that extra rush that you didn't get during a daytime run. You allow your eyes to skim across the crowd, smiling as you noticed how the monsters seemed to almost glow even under the arena lights. It didn't take you long to spot Fuku, her bright green flames licking gently against the darkness of the background..

She was on the right hand side, near the first barrel, sitting with a pair of skeletons. The taller of the two was totally decked out in rodeo attire, from his giant cowboy hat to his plaid shirt and jeans… even cowboy boots. How cute! The shorter skeleton seemed a bit more out of place. He was wearing a bright blue hoodie with fur lining the hood, and… basket ball shorts? You could have sworn you spotted him sporting pink slippers as well. However he was wearing a cowboy hat and that brought a smile to your face. You couldn't help but wonder who these two interesting faces were.

You’d gotten well used to the fact that monsters were here on the surface, and it was really cool seeing them take part in the rodeo world. Not really somewhere you had expected to see them frequent, but you could easily understand their curiosity and why they’d want to be involved. Fuku looked over at you and smiled, waving at you. You smiled and waved back, just as the speakers blared again.

**“Jessica Moody - 17.491. Morgan Hemingway, we’re ready for you!”**

Oh fuck. Shit. Fuck. Your heart was pounding again. Time to go. Time to run. You can do this.

Gathering up your reins, you shifted in your saddle, before turning Pistol to the gate. The gelding spurred awake under your touch, coming to life with a totally new spirit under him. He pranced through the gate, before bunching himself into a popping canter, rocking his weight back onto his haunches, as you clung to his reins to hold him back. Lining the gelding up with the shoot the best you could, you took one final ragged breath. 

“Ready big boy?”

Pistol chomped at his bit in response, popping up underneath you. Exhaling slowly in an attempt to slow your heart, you push your hand forward and kick, spurring the gelding forward out of the shoot. The gelding responded by gritting his teeth against the bit and launching forward.

_Just three turns then home. Three turns then home. We can do this._

You reminded yourself, more for the sake of your own sanity than anything else. Hunching forward over the gelding’s neck as he flew out of the shoot to the right, towards the first barrel. music was blaring over the speakers and the crowd cheered, egging the golden beast beneath you on more. Within a few strides you were coming up on the first barrel.

As Pistol’s front shoulder began to round the first barrel the colt’s gears shut down hard. Sitting back in the saddle, you grab for the saddle horn with your left hand, guiding the colt around the barrel with your right. Pistol slides around the barrel practically on his ass like a pro, nearly rubbing your knee on it. As soon as you’re past it you feel yourself instinctively grab again for the reins with both hands and spurring him onward again.

_One down, two more to go. Come on big guy!_

You could hear the crowd cheering, but it was drown out by your concentration on your run. You could have sworn you heard a distinctive “WOWIE!” in the cheers. Fuku was standing in the stands, screaming at you to keep pushing. You could barely make her voice out over the crowd, but it was there, just enough to egg you on.

And push you did. Driving the colt out of the first barrel, he made leaping strides for the second. As soon as his shoulder passed the second he was sitting and turning hard once more. You secretly wondered how you managed to hang onto him, he’s such a powerhouse. Nearly jerked from your seat you force your butt down and steer him around the barrel with your left hand, right hand on the saddle horn this time. 

You feel him stumble out of the second barrel, wincing slightly but kicking him onward. Clean run so far, all you had to do was get past the third. 

“Getttt.”

You growl under your breath, kicking the colt out of the second barrel and driving him on to the third. You could feel him starting to shut down early, immediately reaching for the piece of rope attached to your saddle horn and swinging it over your hip to crack him one. The colt responds by launching forward another two strides, just past the barrel before sitting to turn. 

_Good save..._

Guiding the colt around the barrel with your left hand on the reins, he brushes the barrel with your leg and you hold your breath. It wavers, but does not fall. The crowd lets out a gasp, followed by screams when the barrel doesn't fall. You hear Fuku screaming over the crowd. "IT'S UP!" With that, you turn for home, using your over under to drive him onward for home, out of the shoot. Sitting back, the gelding slides to a stop and you pat his neck generously, breathing deeply.

**“And we have a new leader ladies and gentlemen! Morgan Hemmingway - 15.889.”**

You wanted to cry. You haven't had a good run in nearly a month, and Pistol just wiped the rodeo clean with that run. This colt was stupidly fast, and only getting faster with each and every run. How in the world did you end up so blessed. 

Jumping off your saddle, you quickly loosen your girth and head out of the holding pen. Sometime during your run Fuku had dove out of the stands and made a run for the gate. She was standing there, green flames flickering as you take hold of Pistol’s reins and make your way out of the gate. Her voice was giddy.

“When you said Morgan, I didn't think you meant, _Morgan_ , like, _one of the best on the circuit Morgan..._ ” She said breathlessly, moving to walk briskly beside you and pat Pistol on the neck once more. “Holy shit what a run!”

A smile had crept onto your lips and just wouldn't leave. You were secretly ecstatic. Pistol had by far outperformed himself tonight. The colt danced at your side, pleased with himself. The gelding had a fine layer of sweat over his shoulders and chest, and his back legs were sweaty as well. He’d really been driving that run and you knew it. You make a mental note to hose him down before putting him away for the night. He was panting gently, prancing beside you as his heart rate returned back to normal. You glanced over to Fuku, who seemed to be just as ecstatic as you were.

“I’m honestly not that great, this big guy just takes great care of me… he’s a _monster_ I swear.”

With that she laughed at your stupid pun, rolling her eyes at you mockingly. You blush a bit at your own silly joke. Really? Monster jokes when you’ve barely met this girl? Thankfully she has a good sense of humor.

“Let’s go get this guy untacked. They’ll be reading results soon. After the barrels they’re doing bull riding, and one of my friends is a rodeo clown this year… it’ll be worth sticking around to watch.”

She grinned over at you. You secretly wondered which friend she meant. Was it one of the two skeletons you saw? Oh now this should be interesting. 

With that, the two of you bounded off for the barn, Pistol in toe, trotting behind you. How’d you manage to make such a cool friend already? Weren’t you used to the lonely road that’s usually the rodeo business? You usually didn't let yourself get close to people because they always ended up traveling a different path than you. Always another rodeo, always another dream to chase. Maybe this time would be different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, thank you all again so much for the kudos and comments. You're all amazing. 
> 
> If you'd like to keep updated with the fic, send me asks, etc, you can find me on tumblr at:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	3. Calming Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we learn a little more about Fuku and make a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, thank you all so much for the attention this fic has gotten. It feels so cool having people interested in what I'm writing! I know it's not everyone's jam and butter, but for those of you who are along for the ride, you guys are totally awesome! 
> 
> Tonight's chapter is total filler bullshit. I won't lie to you guys. I had a lot of random character info I wanted to put out there, some basic magic crap and I'm trying to start introducing some more characters. Patience my children! We will get to the juicy stuff soon enough!
> 
> Anyways, Saddle on up guys, chapter 3 is hereeeee!

It didn't take you long to untack the gelding and get him hosed off. Fuku kept you company while you went through your routine of removing your tack, leading him out to where the makeshift wash stalls were, and then hosing him off. His golden coat turning to a mute chocolate color over his hips and the dapples across his barrel and flanks seeming to disappear as the water soaks into his fur. You hummed to yourself as you allow the water to run over his legs, cooling his joints.

“So I never asked, how was your run?”

Turning your attention to the green flame, you ask the question casually, with a smile. It’s a hot june night, and you’re glad you wont have to worry about Pistol catching a cold from being hosed down. You lift the hose, running the stream of water over his back one more time before turning around to turn off the water and put away the hose. Stepping to the side, you reach for your sweat scraper, a simple stick like piece of plastic designed to wick the water off of a horse’s coat. Starting at the top of Pistol’s neck, you draw the scraper down in smooth swipes, effectively pulling the excess water off of his coat.

Fuku was leaning casually against the bar you had Pistol tethered to, her cool green flames licking gently against the metal bar. She crossed her arms and smiled at you.

“I didn't have a run quite like yours, but I should fall in the second division. I had a 16.6. We had a bit of trouble with the first barrel, took it a bit wide.”

You stepped to your right, moving down to Pistol’s shoulder and side as you continued to pull water from his hide with the sweat scraper. You made quick work of his flank and rump before returning to his side to run the plastic device across his belly and pull a large amount of water off. You repeated the process on the opposite side of his body as you spoke to Fuku.

“16.6 is still a great time! I honestly expected a run in the 16s myself. Pistol blew it out of the water tonight, that’s for sure.”

You glance up at her with a smile. She’s now turned and is caressing small circles over Pistol’s cheekbones with her fingers. He’s falling asleep to her touch, as he cocks a back hoof and relaxes his body. She certainly seems to have a way with animals. You can't help but to find yourself just simply watching her work with your horse. Putting down the sweat scraper, you’d been finished with it anyways, you stand up and lean on the bar, content to watch Fuku massage your horse’s cheeks.

“You’re really good with animals..”

The words just roll off your tongue. She tilts her head towards you with a smile.

“Yeah, they like the warmth of my touch. My fire magic isn't strictly… well, fire. It’s more of a healing fire than anything else, not quite as aggressive as my father’s magic can be.”

Oh! Magic! Of course, she is a walking flame after all, no wonder she’s so good with the animals. You found magic fascinating. Born a country girl in the middle of Colorado, you’d never known more than the farm and the small town you grew up in. When Frisk broke the barrier and came forth with all of the monsters, you’d been a teenager and paid little mind to what was happening around you. All you cared about was horses, boys and bonfires. That’s still really all you cared about now… minus the boys a bit. They weren't priority anymore. If a nice guy came along, then so be it.

From the time you hit high school you were traveling for high school rodeo. Competing, working hard to be at the top of your game. Friends came and went, it was part of the rodeo world. Sometimes you saw each other at a rodeo, sometimes you didn't. You learned to rely on Pistol, your truck and trailer, and yourself. Now, at 18, you were traveling across the country to compete at some of the top rodeos, fighting for your place among some of the best cowgirls in the world. 

All the while, you didn't know much about the monsters that had come to the surface. Sure you’d seen them here or there at the rodeos, but it’d been only recently that they’d allowed monsters to compete at this level of Rodeo. So you’d really never had any actual interaction with them. This left you curious and anxious to suck in any information Fuku was willing to give to you.

“I think magic is fascinating.”

You state, rather bluntly. Fuku chuckles, lifting her hands from Pistol’s face, the gelding opening his eyes and flicking his ears forward. She turns to you and smiles, before the announcer’s voice comes booming through the loudspeaker, jerking you both from your conversation.

**“Alrighty folks, we’re about to get started with the bull riding here in a few minutes.”**

With that, you grab for Pistol’s lead, untying it quickly and motioning towards the barn.

“We better get going! We wanted to watch the bull riding!”

Fuku nods, and the two of you quickly return Pistol to his stall, making sure he has hay and water. Fuku takes a detour to Evelyn’s stall, making sure that she too has enough to keep her content. Satisfied, you do a once over of your things, quickly pulling your hat back out and putting it on. _Completes the look_. You muse to yourself, before turning to Fuku and giving her the thumbs up that you’re ready to go. You pause to take notice of Fuku closing some kind of lock on her stall door and tack trunk.

On the way out of the barn you glance over quickly to Fuku.

“Is this your first stop on Rodeo Road?”

She peered over at you curiously. The term “Rodeo Road” was the name given to the path one takes to the finals each year. Everyone in the business has at least heard of it. Even competitors who liked to only show locally at barrel races instead of hitting the rodeos. Rodeos were expensive after all.. And if you don't place, you don't make back what you spent and you can't continue on to the next rodeo. It’s a dangerous gamble, this business. Fuku pauses for a moment before answering.

“If you’re asking me if this is my first actual rodeo, yeah… it is. I’d been riding locally since we came to the surface. As you noticed animals have always been good with me, made handling the horses so much easier. I got a job at a low end farm a few weeks after we got to the surface. Didn't want to stay in the bar business. Dad was pissed, but he eventually got over it when I got permission to work some of the horses and figured out how to ride. It wasn't long before I was competing locally. Once they lifted the monster ban for rodeoing, I jumped on board. Figured, what do I have to lose?”

You sighed. Why did things have to be so hard for monsters here on the surface. Why did we ban them from everything. These creatures seem far more friendly than any of the humans you’d met in the past… it’s why you just don't have anyone particularly close to you to hang out with. But you highly disliked that they had few rights and had to fight for everything they have. They deserve the same rights as everyone else! 

“I know a lot of us roadies are really hardcore… is that why you lock everything up?”

Fuku’s smile faltered a bit.

“It’s a major problem I’ve always had to deal with. Stolen tack, chunks of mane or tail being cut off… A lot of the others here don't like monsters competing with them.”

That’s low. Especially for the rodeo business. Stolen tack was one thing, but to mess with somebody’s horse? You’d have to be a real dickbag. Unfortunately it’s almost always a hazard you have to look out for in the horse business. Some people are just down right horrible. But to be constantly on your toes about it? That had to be rough.

“Well you have me to look out for you and Evelyn now too. I won't tolerate bullshit. Nobody messes with my friends.”

You flash a smile to her as the two of you make your way back to the arena. It didn't take you long to find your way to the stands, picking your way through the seated crowd until you found your seats. Glancing up, you spot the larger skeleton grinning wildly at you, stood up from his seat to greet Fuku and yourself as you entered the stands. 

“FUKU, WHO IS YOUR NEW HUMAN FRIEND? IS THIS THE GIRL YOU WERE YELLING AT?!”

Oh my, he’s a loud one. You smile and extend your hand to shake, only for him to grasp your hand firmly, shaking it almost viciously. Giggling, you introduce yourself.

“I’m Morgan.”

“WOWIE! NICE TO MEET YOU, HUMAN MORGAN. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

He was practically beaming. You couldn't help but appreciate how genuine he seemed to be. Wow, if all monsters were like this, you could totally get used to hanging out with them more. They were nothing like the people that usually tried to hold your company. It takes a few moments for Papyrus to let go of your hand, he’d shaken your arm decently and you clutch it back to your chest with a smile. He suddenly seems worried. 

“I DIDN’T HURT YOU, DID I?”

You chuckle and shake your head, hoping to calm his thoughts. The three of you take your seats and you lean over to Fuku, whispering to her.

“Is he always this loud?”

She huffs a bit, laughing and nodding. 

“Yep, you get used to it though. And he does have an inside voice, he just doesn't really like using it.”

Okay so loud skeleton friend. Check. Awesome green fire elemental friend. Check. It suddenly occurs to you that the smaller skeleton who had been seated here with the others earlier is now missing. You can't help but wonder where he’s gotten to, you’d been hoping to meet everyone. Since when were you so personable? Oh well. Fuku catches your curious glance and nudges you gently.

“A few of my other friends are competing tonight. Well, one of them is, in the Bronc riding. She’s one of the first female competitors in the sport, and she’s a monster! Quite literally, I mean.”

Papyrus cuts in as well.

“MY BROTHER IS A RODEO CLOWN! WHATEVER THAT IS!”

Oh my god, so that’s where the other skeleton wandered off to. This was going to be priceless. You loved watching rodeo clowns work their magic in the arena… and not literally. However maybe it would be literal tonight? You knew they hired monsters for all sorts of odd jobs.. But this was going to be hysterical and even you couldn't deny that.

“Ever seen a skeleton wear makeup?”

Fuku muses at you, and you shake your head. Hell, you’d never even really noticed any skeleton monsters until tonight. Papyrus was so tall, you’re almost shocked that he didn't scare you in the least. His aura is quite friendly though, so you feel rather at home already around him and you’d only known him for a few minutes. Glancing back at the skeleton, you can't help but laugh as he pulls the brim of his hat down over his skull, adjusting it's fit to perfection. Your eyes scan over him quickly, and your assumptions are set in stone. His jeans are crisp and held on his hipbones by a leather belt with a large classic belt buckle (one of the ones you'd buy at the stands near the food area), his shirt barely wrinkled and tucked in neatly at the waist. His hat is even perfectly bent at the brim and his boots (complete with a set of spurs) are casually tucked under his jeans but you cant see a single scuff on them. He had a bandanna tied around his neck for good measure. He must like neck wear. 

In the rodeo world, it's common to see folks who aren't involved in the circuit dressed to the nine in an attempt to match the crowd, specifically females looking for the attention of cowboys. We like to call 'em buckle bunnies. You found yourself secretly laughing inside as you'd really never seen the male equivalent of that... but here before you one sat. Now, I highly doubt Papyrus had any intentions of trying to woo the girls here, but it sure looks silly when you try to dress the part but don't get the details quite right. Oh well, at least he's having a good time. You make a mental note to not let any of the girls here pick at him for his outfit.

You pause to pull your phone from your pocket, checking the notifications and posting a quick status about your run. Your parents would be pleased to hear that you’d done so well tonight. This season was off to a great start. Glancing up from your phone, you nudge Fuku before handing the device to her.

“Throw your number in there. I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other this season. It’ll be great to keep in touch.”

She nods, before quickly tapping her phone number into the device and naming herself ‘Fuku :D’ in your contacts. The fire elemental hands the phone back to you and you pull up her contact info, shooting a text to her quickly.

 **Morgan:**  
wazzuppppp

“There, now you have my number too!”

Her phone lights up in her lap and she grabs it, entering your name as ‘Morgan’ into her contacts. Papyrus looks at you both and you toss your phone back at him with a smile.

“Go ahead, you can put your number in too!”

He eagerly grabs the device and types in his number, naming himself ‘The Great Papyrus’ in your contacts and saving it when he’s satisfied the name is acceptable. Handing the phone back to you, you repeat the process of sending a text to his number as well.

 **Morgan:**  
Hellooooooo!

Look at you, exchanging numbers with a couple of monsters you’d just met. This was new, you’d usually only kept to yourself. But you felt the need to keep these guys around. There was a sort of comfort now that had been lacking when you hadn't been around them before. It felt… ‘nice’ to have friends again. And these ones don't seem anything like the backstabbing assholes that usually liked to hang around with you. One of the major problems of being a high end barrel racer is that people liked to attach themselves to you for one of a few things. Knowledge, Opportunities, or well, somebody to haul them. And frankly, you weren't one who appreciated being used.

Fuku turns to you with a smile.

“I hope you have room in that contact list for several more monsters, I’ve got plenty more friends for you to meet!”

With that you giggle and lock your phone again, tucking it back into the back pocket of your jeans. 

“Of course! I can't wait to meet all of them!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can totally stalk me and the story's progress on my tumblr:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com
> 
> I post random nonsense and talk to myself a lot, you're more than welcome to join the shenanigans!


	4. Sans the Rodeo Clown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's get some awesome character details out there. And here's Sans finally!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY POOP GUYS THIS SHIT PILE OF WORDS HAS FAN ART.  
> YOU PEOPLE LOVE IT SO MUCH THERE'S FAN ART.  
> WHAT IS HAPPENING.
> 
> [LOOK AT THIS](http://s35.photobucket.com/user/HamsterBattalionCommander/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160606_084611.jpg.html)
> 
> I freaking love you guys so much. This is turning into my little world of insanity and I just love that the words just keep spilling forth from my fingers. Let's keep this shit train going!

You find yourself settling down to gazing around the crowd as the arena crew clears out the barrels and sorts the bulls into their appropriate shoots for the bull riding. During the time you’d been hosing off Pistol you’d missed the announcer reading off the results. However you’re certain you fell somewhere in the top three. Brushing the thought out of your mind for a second, you glance over at Fuku.

She’s got her face practically buried in her phone and she’s texting somebody. Not one to be rude, you turn your attention away from the glowing screen of her phone. She quickly responds to the text and sets her phone back down on her lap, turning to face you with a grin.

“We both placed!”

Wait, how in the world did she find that out? Papyrus hadn't been paying any mind to the announcer and the two of you hadn't been close enough to the speakers to hear the results. Fuku notices your confusion and lifts her phone back up, pulling up a set of text messages from somebody by the name of ‘Alphys’. She hands the phone to you and you scroll down the screen, reading the messages silently to yourself.

**Fuku:**  
Hey Alpy on your way to our seats do you mind stopping at the announcer's booth and seeing if my friend and I placed?

**Alphys:**  
Yeah! No problem! :3 What’s your friend’s name?

**Fuku:**  
Morgan Hemingway. If we have winnings you can grab them!

**Alphys:**  
Alright! ^_^

The next message was a few minutes later than the first two.

**Alphys:**  
You both placed! Morgan won 1st place 1st Division and you won 2nd place Second Division! I have your winnings, see you in the stands! :* :D

Awh, it’s cute how many emoticons this Alphys character likes to use. You smiled to yourself and handed her phone back to her, Just as you do so Fuku spots somebody out of the corner of her eye, standing up as she tucks the phone back into her pocket quickly. 

“Alphys! Undyne! Over here!”

Papyrus stood up and waved, yelling over the crowd.

“UNDYNE! ALPYS! YOU MUST COME SIT WITH US!”

;Fuku waves her hands in the air, motioning towards where you are sitting. You lift your gaze to see who the fire elemental was waving over. Walking towards your section of the stands are two more monsters, one very tall and the other rather short. The tall one is a blue fish like monster, she’s wearing jeans and chaps, a white rodeo shirt with a few sponsor patches sewn onto it, a black protective rodeo vest that you’d see a competitor wearing, cowboy boots with spurs, and a black cowboy hat. Her long red hair is braided down the side of her neck. Her shorter companion is a small yellow dinosaur like creature, who is wearing jean shorts, cowboy boots and hat, a white shirt and a pink plaid button up, left unbuttoned in the front. 

The pair make their way to where you’re sitting and take the two open seats on the bleachers behind you, next to Papyrus. The dinosaur passes off two envelopes to Fuku and the fire elemental passes one to you. Taking the envelope in your hands you glance down at it quickly. Sure enough you’d kicked ass tonight. $546 for that run. Holy shit. You’d be having an easy week on that kind of money. You tuck the envelope into your back pocket opposite where your phone was already shoved and turn to Fuku, who appeared shocked by the amount on her envelope. The fire elemental was practically in tears, ecstatic about the package in her hands. She opened it slowly, counting the bills inside.

“How much did you get?”

You ask, excited.

“$319. I’ve never won anything like this at a local barrel race…”

Her voice seems to trail off at the end of that and you put your arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Her green flames lick across your skin gently, but you don’t get burnt. 

“That’s because barrel races rarely pay this kinda cash. You’re playing with the big boys now, Fuku. No more tiny payouts from the local announcer’s booth. We’re running with some of the finest horses and riders on the circuit and you placed in the second division!”

You grin wildly at her and she wipes the pooling tears from her eyes. How can she even cry? She’s made of fire! You chalk that one up to magic as well. All the while behind you the three other monsters were casually conversing. Fuku looks down at the envelope in her hands and nods at you in response.

“You’re right. Holy shit this is really happening.”

Your friend moment is suddenly ruined as the announcer’s voice comes across the loudspeakers, blaring over you due to your position in the stands. The announcer has a heavy country accent, as most rodeo announcers do, and he drags out some of his words as he speaks.

**“Alllllrighty Folks, let’s get down to business. The bulls are in the shoots, the cowboys are ready to ride, it’s time to get this show on the road!”**

Jesus, you practically jump out of your skin as the announcer’s voice bellows across the arena. No wonder you could hear this so well in most places on the grounds. Fuku jumps too, in response to you startling, and you release your grip on her, giving her an apologetic glance.

“Sorry!”

She laughs a bit and waves it off. You quickly turn around to the monsters behind you and extend your hand.

“Sorry, I’m Morgan, I met Fuku earlier tonight before my run. You must be Alphys and Undyne?”

The two monsters look down at you, having paused in their conversation due to the announcer as well. The fish monster grabs your hand rather tightly and shakes it firmly.

“Undyne, punk.”

You wince slightly at how tight her grip is on your hand. Her tone is rather friendly, but it’s hard not to be totally intimidated by how strong she is. You grab the edge of the bleacher your sat on with your free hand to steady yourself. 

“Nice to meet you!”

You sputter out, trying to not let her size get the best of you. She’s nearly as tall as Papyrus, but incredibly muscular and fit. She was not the type of creature you wanted to find yourself in a wrestling match with. She gives you a toothy grin before releasing her grip on your hand. What is it with these guys and firm handshakes? 

You retract your hand momentarily before extending it out again to the other monster seated behind you who takes your hesitantly, shaking gently. Oh now this was much better.

“A-Alphys”

Awh, she’s a shy monster. How adorable! And she’s dressed to the T like a buckle bunny, but it’s adorable. She smiles at you shyly before retracting her hand from yours.

“Pleased meet you!”

Since when did you become this friendly? Jesus kid tone it down a bit. Since when did you make friends on rodeo road? This wasn't a place to get attached to people. Everyone goes their separate ways at the end of the day. You shake the thought out of your head, and turn back towards the arena. 

Fuku reaches over and nudges you, pointing down to the arena. In the center of the pen there’s one of those rodeo clown barrels, open side up. Leaning against it… is a skeleton? The fire elemental next to you stifles a laugh, and you can't help but chuckle. Undyne overhears this, peering down into the arena.

“Oh my god Sans really?!”

Papyrus perks up as well, pointing over the people in front of him excitedly at the arena.

“WOWIE! MY BROTHER IS PAINTED UP LIKE A CLOWN!”

Oh my god Papyrus really? He isn't kidding though. Standing in the arena, lazily leaning against the barrel is the smaller skeleton you’d seen earlier before your run. He’s dressed in blue and black jersey like t-shirt, his basketball shorts you’d seen him in earlier, knee high socks, and a pair of sneakers. Perched on his head was a black cowboy hat and his skull was painted like a clown face. Oh man he was not going to live this one down.

You can't help but laugh to yourself as you lean over to speak to Fuku.

“So, who’s this ‘Sans’ character?”

She snorts out a laugh at you before leaning back towards you and lowering her voice to a level where only you and her can hear one another.

“Sans is Papyrus’s big brother. I guess I’d consider him a pretty _punny_ guy”

She can't help but snicker at her own bad joke. ‘Big’ brother? You were absolutely positive somewhere along the line things were backwards. Papyrus was incredibly tall while his older brother was more along the lines of your height. You didn't understand these monsters or their genetics in the least. Before you can ponder that thought any further the announcer reads off a name and the first shoot bursts open.

Out of the shoot jumps a rather rank bull, on his back a human rider. The bull leaps straight forward, bucking viciously before turning and bucking in a circle. The rider does well to hold on until the buzzer rings, and then dives off to the side, scrambling for the rail. All the while Sans appears to be… sleeping? What kind of rodeo clown sleeps on the job?! 

The process repeats itself for three more rides, all clean before shit starts hitting the fan. The next bull jumps from the shoot, much ranker than the last few, ducking to the left immediately as he starts bucking. He unseats his rider and tosses him, the rider flying over the bull’s head and landing on the bull’s skull on his way down. The man is knocked unconscious and you look down pleadingly towards Sans. It’s his job to get that guy out of there safely. There’s a flash of blue light, and the skeleton is standing between the bucking bull who is now making a b line back to the man on the ground. Sans places his hands firmly out, and you can see that his left eye is a brilliant shade of blue, replacing his previously white pin pricks. 

The bull seems to stop dead in his tracks, huffing in an angered sense at the skeleton, before turning and bucking towards the open gate leading behind the shoots. Sans crouches down to the man, before motioning in the medical team and then backing off to give them room to get him out of the arena. With that he heads back over to his barrel, climbing into this time and slouching down into it. How classic.

“DID YOU SEE THAT?!”

Papyrus is in awe of his brother’s actions in the arena. He’s on his feet, clapping his hands excitedly. You don't have the heart to tell him he’s not exactly being polite towards the man that just took a rather nasty fall. The rest of the crowd takes his lead and starts cheering the man out of the arena as they carry him out on a backboard. 

“Yeah Sans! Show that bull who's boss!”

Undyne cheers from behind you loudly. You begin clapping with everyone else, and soon the clapping dies off as they start the rounds back up. The rest of the bull riding goes the same, Sans stepping in to save somebody whenever a bull turns on them, otherwise sleeping whenever he gets the chance. You can't help but wonder how he even knows when he is needed. He seems fast asleep! 

It’s not long before Undyne stands up and stretches. She leans over, kissing Alpys firmly on the lips before turning to speak to the rest of the group.

“I have to go get ready for the bronc riding. You guys are going to watch right?”

Fuku and Papyrus nod eagerly and you smile.

“Hell yeah! We can all go back to my trailer afterwards and chill out. I brought beer. Never come to a good rodeo without beer.”

The fish woman laughs, giving you a thumbs up as she heads out of the stands towards the back of the arena, just out of view for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, stalk my tumblr. it's worth it for the updates.  
> love me please.
> 
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	5. Burgers and Fries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get some rodeo food and settle in to watch Undyne kick some ass!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so in awe of you guys for all the attention this is getting. I love you all so much for being a part of my insane little world. You guys make my freaking day. I literally can not say this enough.

There’s only a few more riders left to go in the bull riding, and you take the opportunity to nudge Fuku’s shoulder and get her attention. Your stomach was growling and maybe it’s time to break into your winnings for something to eat. You hadn’t eaten since noon and it was getting decently late into the evening now. Humans can unfortunately only go so long without grabbing something to eat.

“We should hit up the food stands quickly before the bronc riding starts.”

She nods to you and stands, stretching out a bit. You stand as well, getting ready to go satisfy to grumbling in your stomach. The two of you turn to the other two monsters seated behind you.

“Alpys, Papyrus, we’re headed off to the food section to get something to eat. Do you want anything while we’re there?”

Papyrus perks up at the thought of food and before you even have a chance to turn your eyes to him for an answer he replies.

“I WONDER IF THEY HAVE SPAGHETTI HERE?”

Spaghetti? At a rodeo? Come on now, this was carni food! Fuku catches your baffled look and starts laughing, Alphys joining in before the small yellow dinosaur turns to her rather tall companion and places her paw on his arm.

“P-Papyrus… I don't think they carry s-spaghetti here. Y-you’ll have to s-settle for something else.”

The skeleton’s smile falters, and he clasps his hands together in his lap, looking down at them for a moment as he thinks. You can't help but feel bad, he must really like spaghetti. Hopefully you’ll understand this obsession more in the future. You reach out and put a hand on his knee and he looks up at you with sad eyes. You smile gently at the tall skeleton and offer to get him something more carnival related.

“How about a corn dog? It’s a hot dog on a stick with breading.”

He huffs a bit, before mulling over the thought in his head. It takes a few moments before he lowers his voice to a normal tone and responds, you can tell he's visibly upset about the fact they don't carry spaghetti here. It makes you feel bad enough that you make a mental note to say something to the folks running the rodeo… maybe they can do spaghetti in the future.

“Well it’s not pasta, human, but I guess it will have to do.”

He really enjoyed calling you human. Must be a monster thing. It’s going to take some getting used to, but you hold back the urge to correct him on your name. Pulling back from him gently, you stand back up and turn to Alphys, who gives you a toothy grin.

“D-do they have p-pizza here?”

She asks quickly, her voice peaking above the others around you momentarily. You almost have a problem hearing her but you manage to gather most of what she said. Nodding, you turn back to Fuku and give her the okay that you’re ready to go. The two of you climb down quickly from the stands and make your way towards the front of the arena. You yell a quick “We’ll be back” over your shoulder at the other monsters as you leave. People are thankfully mostly still in their seats so you really don't have to force your way through a crowd. It doesn't take you long to reach the makeshift food area as Fuku grabs your sleeve.

“Over here!”

She guides you through the lingering crowd of people near the food tents to one near the end of the row. There’s another fire elemental tending the counter and you gasp a bit. His flames are bright orange and he looks much more fire like than your friend does. Fuku just laughs a bit. 

“Dad, this is Morgan, Morgan this is Grillby. He owns the best bar on the surface and I talked him into traveling with me because his food is much better than what they usually serve here.”

You laugh a bit. She’s right, the best food you could usually snag at these places were funnel cakes and deep fried oreos, maybe a corn dog or pizza if you’re lucky. You lean against the counter and smile at the well dressed flame. He’s wearing black slacks, a white button up, black vest and a cowboy hat, although he doesn't look too pleased about wearing the hat. _Must’ve been Fuku’s doing_. You muse to yourself, glancing at the menu. Oh man, a batch of fries sounded so good right now. 

Fuku orders a burger and you get an order of fries. The fire elemental behind the counter peers at you from behind the counter, nodding before turning back to the back of the tent to get your food together. He’s not much for talking it seems. You quirk a brow at his silence and glance back at Fuku, who catches your gaze and shrugs.

“He’s never been one for talking, don't take it personally. He occasionally will though.”

It’s about 5 minutes before Grillby returns with your orders, he hands them to you and when you attempt to pay him he waves you off. You frown and shove your money back into your pocket. At least you can still pay for the others’ food. Fuku grins up at her father before producing the envelope from her back pocket and handing it to him. He takes it from her, studying it for a second before beginning to speak.

“.....Congratulations, I’m glad you did well.”

He seems to smile at her and hands back the envelope, which she tucks into her pocket before leaning over the counter to hug him excitedly. He wraps his arms around her and for a moment their flames flicker together brilliantly as they hold each other. You smile as they have their moment, while you drench your fries in ketchup. Satisfied you have enough you stand back and eat a few, more than happy you listened to your friend’s choice for food. These fries were freaking delicious.

The two fire elementals pull back from each other and Fuku grabs her burger,

“We’re going to watch Undyne in the Bronco riding, then afterwards I’m not sure what we’re doing yet.”

An idea suddenly pops into your head. You speak up, swallowing the fries in your mouth quickly as not to be rude.

“We’re having a fire tonight at my trailer.”

Oh man look at you now. First you go and make friends. Now you invite them back to your trailer. What’s next? You shove some more fries into your mouth to quell your thoughts, hoping you didn't make a total ass out of yourself.

“Oh yeah that’s right!”

Fuku seems thrilled. She’d had an awesome night. Being new on the circuit it was probably really nice having somebody who wanted to hang around with her. You smile and the two of you wave goodbye to Grillby before making your way to the other food stands to get food for your friends. You grab a corn dog for Papyrus and a slice of pizza for Alphys. You weren't sure what she liked, so you just got pepperoni. Better safe than sorry.

With your hands full, you make your way back to the arena, finding your seats quite easily as it seemed not many people really cared to sit all that close to the monsters. You sighed as you realized this. They didn't deserve this kind of hate. You easily get back into the stands and hand over the food to Papyrus and Alpys. Both dig in immediately. 

You take this moment to glance back down into the arena. Sans is still sound asleep in his barrel. He’s sitting haphazardly on top of it, with his butt sunk down into the opening at the top, legs hanging over the side of the barrel. How in the world can that possibly be comfortable? You shove some of your fries in your mouth, enjoying the flavor as your gaze shifts to the shoots. You watch carefully as they maneuver the bulls out and replace them with the bronc horses. These guys were so fluid at keeping the rodeo moving forward. You wondered if they ever had trouble swapping out the rodeo stock.

Fuku is savoring every last bite of her burger. You make a mental note to try one of them next time you hit up Grillby’s stand. It does look really freaking good. Alphys is enjoying her pizza and Papyrus has just about finished off his corn dog. 

“HUMAN, THIS MAY NOT BE PASTA BUT IT’S PRETTY GOOD!”

The skeleton beams up at you with a smile, talking between mouthfuls. You giggle in response and nod your approval. The four of you study the arena as cowboys move to their appropriate positions at the shoots and one gets ready to get on the first bronco. You glance up at Alphys.

“Do you know when Undyne is riding?”

She takes a bite of her crust, swallowing it quickly before answering you.

“S-she should be uh… t-third or fourth t-to go.”

Her stutter was adorable, you had to admit. You could really see why Undyne liked this little dinosaur so much. She was super cute with her dorky nature. Alphys seemed really out of place in a place like this, but she was handling it well and you had to give her mad props for that. 

The announcer’s voice blasts over the speakers again and you’re all prepared for it this time as he rattles off about the bronco riding.

**“It’s time to get the Bronco riding started folks! First to go is Colt Brown on a little brown spitfire we call Blackie. Why do we call him that? Who knows!”**

Oh the names they give these rodeo animals. They make absolutely no sense. You watch as the gate opens and the horse leaps from the shoot, bucking wildly into the arena. Sans seems to open an eye at this but doesn't move as the horse bucks around to the outside of the ring, his riding hanging on until the timer hits the full 8 seconds and the buzzer blares. Two other riders assist the man off the horse and Blackie heads back towards the now open center gate which leads behind the shoots. The crowd cheers and you await the next ride. 

**“Jackson McDermott will be next up on a big old palomino named Tank.”**

The announcer’s voice carries over the arena as the gate to the second shoot flies open. You watch the horse out of the corner of your eye. You’re more distracted by Undyne who is now located at the third shoot, getting ready to climb in on top of a rather massive black and white overo paint. She’s got a glove on her right hand and she’s watching as they strap up the gelding in the shoot. She doesn't seem the least bit nervous as she adjusts her hat on her head. She climbs over the rail and seats herself on top of the gelding, adjusting herself into place as you hear the buzzer ring in the background. 

“Oohhh! U-undyne looks to be up next!”

Alphys squeals excitedly from behind you. You grin and nod, shoving the last of your fries into your mouth and setting the empty paper basket on the bleachers between your feet. You do a mental prayer for Undyne, wishing her a good ride.

**“Alright ladies and gentlemen, next to go is somebody pretty new to the rodeo scene. She’s one of our first female riders, and our first monster to be riding in the bareback bronc portion of the rodeo. Undyne the Undying, you’re up next on a massive horse we call Rowdy.”**

You hold your breath as you watch Undyne raise her left hand, signaling she’s ready for the gate to be opened. Her right hand is secured in her rope which is tightened around Rowdy’s belly. The gate flies open and Rowdy tucks his head to the ground, instinctively shooting left and out of the shoot, bucking hard. Undyne leans back, shifting her weight against the massive horse, her body flowing to the rhythm of his leaps. Her spurs catch him on the shoulders, encouraging him to buck harder as he takes a hard dive to the right, launching and bucking roughly. You’re impressed, she’s got a great position and hold over the gelding, and he’s giving her one hell of a rough ride. She keeps her left hand steady in the air the entire time, careful not to touch Rowdy throughout the ride.

Eight seconds almost seems like a lifetime as the four of you lean forward in your seats, watching the ride. As soon as you hear the buzzer you’re on your feet, screaming at the top of your lungs.

“GO UNDYNE!”

Alphys, Papyrus and Fuku are right there with you, screaming and cheering. The crowd takes your lead and clapping and cheering erupts. She’d had one hell of an awesome ride. Her strength really did give her an advantage in an event like this. 

As soon as the buzzer sounded Undyne shifted back in her seat, letting her legs fall to the horse’s sides as she sits up straight, the gelding shifting gears into a gallop around the arena as the pickup crew makes their way in to help her off. She’s grabbed by a man who mutters something about monsters, only to be unhooked quickly and dropped onto the arena sand. How rude. Landing on her feet she quickly climbs over the rail and makes her way back over to the group.

“What a couple of assholes. Their pickup crew here is shit.”

She says, her good mood clearly a bit ruined by the man who had muttered ignorant things about her. Alphys jumps out of her seat to greet her with a kiss, jumping up and down excitedly.

“W-what a ride, sweetie!”

Undyne gives her a sympathetic looking smile. How can she possibly be upset with this little yellow ball of joy in her life? She cant. Exactly. You glance up at her and smile.

“Hey, I know some people can be total assholes, but how about we go get some beer and forget about them?”

She glances back at the arena towards Sans, then at Papyrus, before looking back at you.

“There’s only two more riders to go, then we can grab sleepy bone boy over there and go.”

Oh right, you’d nearly forgotten sleepy McGee over there in the barrel. Who can forget him? Oops!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come on down to the booty town and send me some asks about the story:
> 
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	6. The Afterparty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone loves bonfires and beer. Time to start getting a little closer with our good buddy Sans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want everyone to know how much of a pain in the ass it is to own chickens. My family bought 11 of them and they follow me around expecting me to feed them and it's like please just go away. You're cute and all but I don't appreciate the group of you following me all over the farm while I'm trying to do chores.
> 
> Also I know I've said it before but I love you guys.
> 
> Also just a heads up guys, I may be slowing down a bit on writing this. I've been pushing these chapters out pretty quickly and I don't want you to panic if there's a day or two between chapters. Don't freak out! I'm just giving my brain a break :)

There’s surprisingly not many people entered in the bareback bronc riding tonight. The last two riders did terribly anyhow… one bit the dust and the other… well, he flopped around like a sack of potatoes barely hanging onto the potato truck for dear life. It’s safe to say Undyne cleaned up with her awesome ride. The announcer reads the results, and as you expected Undyne cleaned up.

**“Tonight’s bareback bronc winner is Undyne the Undying with her 271 point ride.”**

You’re lucky if you get a score in the high 260s here. Holy shit. She just pulled out a NFR qualifying ride at the first big rodeo of the season. Undyne balls her hands into fists, thrusting them excitedly into the air as she expresses her joy. Alphys joins her.

“Holy shit Undyne, that’s an incredible score. You keep riding like that and you’ll be competing at the NFR this year.”

You say, grinning ear to ear. The announcer continues

**“Well, that’s all for the night folks. We’ll be back here tomorrow to do it all over again!”**

With that the crowd begins to disperse from the stands. You turn your attention to the arena as they release the bronc horses into the ring while they move the other animals around for the night. A sudden idea creeps into your head and you tug on Fuku’s sleeve for her attention. 

“Let’s go get Sans.”

You’d really wanted to call him bone boy. You don't even know the guy and you want to give him pet names already? Seriously girl what has come over you. Rodeo fever. That must be it. Fuku turns to look at you and then nods. The two of you climb down out of the stands, to the rail of the arena. You’re competitors here.. You’re totally allowed to do this right? Yeah, totally.

Grabbing the top rail you hoist yourself up, climbing up over the five bar panel and back down the other side. Fuku follows suit. The bronc horses have made their way to the far side of the arena and you allow your eyes to scan over them briefly as you make your way to the rodeo barrel. You hear Fuku giggle and make a ‘shh’ motion towards her, as she stifles her laugh. You creep up on the barrel, the thought of whether you should knock it over or not the only thing on your mind.

You don't have to do it though as Fuku takes the honors, leaning down and shouldering the barrel over on its side. You both stand back, satisfied as the skeleton monster inside tumbles to the ground with a loud groan. He doesn't move though, rather choosing to lay in the arena dirt and peer up at both of you.

“if i had a _buck_ for every time that happened…”

Wait a second… did he just make a pun? Fuku’s comment from earlier is starting to make a lot more sense now. So he’s a funny guy then is he? At least his job here at the rodeo was well suited then. You had to admit the clown paint was a little much, and a bit creepy, but hey it’s all part of the job. You grin confidently and extend your hand to help him up.

“I’m Morgan. Come on, no more sleeping on the job. Rodeo’s over and we’ve got beer to drink!”

You’re far too enthusiastic right now. He takes your hand and you pull the skeleton to his feet, his bony digits a totally new feeling in your grasp. Your eyes drop to his hand and you linger for a moment, inspecting the bones of his hand before releasing your grasp. _Interesting..._ The thought passes through the back of your mind casually and you glance up at him, quickly realizing he’s staring at you. Shit. 

“Sans the skeleton. don't go _jumping my bones_ already.”

God damnit. Had you really kept contact that long? Oops. You feel the blush creep across your face before you turn around and motion towards the trailers off in the distance. Okay so you found him fascinating. Why wouldn't you? It’s not exactly like you can see your own bones . He’s a walking skeleton! 

Fuku laughs at this and the three of you make your way out of the arena, the same way you got in. Papyrus, Alphys and Undyne meet you on the other side of the fence. Undyne is the first to speak.

“Alright where to punk?”

You’re delighted to show them the way to your trailer, a rather large 3 horse gooseneck with living quarters. It’s much too large for you to be hauling like you are, but you liked the luxury of feeling at home even when you were on the road. So, if that meant you hauled with two empty stalls, then so be it. You’d parked near the very back of the grounds luckily, so your brilliant plan of having a late night bonfire was perfect.

You open the trailer and pull out a bunch of pop up chairs, tossing them at everyone before dragging out two full coolers. They’re heavy and you struggle to move them. 

“Whose bright idea was it to put the beer in the cooler before taking it out of the trailer… oh yeah, mine.”

Papyrus steps in to help you, easily hoisting the coolers from their position inside the living quarters and placing them on the ground outside the trailer under your awning. You can't help but love how eager the tall skeleton is to help. Once everything is out you quickly dart inside to grab a towel, wetting it down and then tossing it to Sans.

“Please, I beg of you take off that make up. I don't think I can handle it any longer.”

He catches the towel and chuckles a bit.

“or else what? you’ll _steer_ clear of me for the night?”

You stifle a laugh and roll your eyes at him as he steps past you, into the trailer to find a mirror. You step out of the trailer and close the bug screen, leaving him to it. 

Undyne is already digging through the coolers. She pulls out a bottle of whiskey with a grin. Oh right, of course you’d brought that. Always prepared in case of a shit run. Gotta be able to drown your sorrows. In fact, you’d brought far too much alcohol for only yourself. Hopefully nobody else notices this.

Fuku has already made herself busy working on getting a fire built. Which well, isn't all that hard for her being a monster who uses fire magic. By the time you make your way to the fire pit with your chair she’s gotten plenty of wood stacked up in it and is pushing a concentrated burst of flames from her fingers onto the wood. It catches easily, crackling and burning from a green color to the normal orange/red. You chuckle at her.

“That’s cheating.”

She looks up at you with a grin.

“Well it’s better than having to start it by hand. None of us have the patience for that and you know it.”

She’s right, you would have been there for an hour trying to light that fire, cursing and complaining the entire time. So you resign to roll your eyes at her playfully, before propping open your chair next to the fire and returning to where the coolers are located. Everyone else has already set their chairs where they wanted. Alphys and Undyne are seated next to each other, Alphys to the right of Undyne and their chairs are touching… it’s pretty cute. Papyrus has his chair to the left of Undyne and you notice he’s already seated, avoiding the alcoholic beverages. Sans must really give him the little brother treatment… he certainly appears to be of legal age to drink… whatever the legal age is for monsters.

You grab the chair you had set out for Sans, propping it open between your chair and Papyrus’. Fuku positions hers between yours and Alphys’ chair, completing the loose circle. Realizing you never grabbed what you intended to when you were over at the coolers you return once more, before opening the container and fishing through the ice.

“Alright who wants drinks?”

Hands raise and you pass around beers to all those asking for one. Undyne is already holding your bottle of whiskey but she’s asking for a beer, god love that girl. You toss the glass bottles casually, hoping they’ll catch them. Thankfully they do. You make a note not to try that trick later on in the evening. Grabbing a final two you close the cooler just as Sans steps back out of the trailer. Ah, good timing. 

Uncertain where the sudden confidence comes from you shove one of the beers at him with a grin, and he takes it, quirking a brow at you. You needed to get to know this shorter skeleton better. He had a way about carrying himself that you found… interesting. Pulling yourself from your thoughts once more you get a sudden idea, thinking of Paps as you hurry back into the trailer only to retrieve a package of marshmallows and some roasting sticks. Give him something to do while the rest of you have a good evening.

Sans has collapsed into his chair lazily by the fire and you pass Papyrus the marshmallows with a smile, showing him quickly how to roast one before taking your seat and prying the top off of your beer with a bottle opener you mysteriously produce from your pocket. Taking a drink of the liquid you lean back heavily into your seat and sigh.

“Man, what a night. Fuku, Undyne and I had awesome rides, and now we’re all just hanging out like good friends.”

Undyne takes a shot of the whiskey, passing the bottle to Alphys before speaking.

“We are good friends, punk.” She hesitates a bit. “At least, we consider you a good friend. You aren't like the other humans here.”

You frown and study the label on your bottle, fumbling at the edges of it with your fingers as you casually try to pry it from the bottle. Why did nobody else seem to like your friends? You realize suddenly that it’s far too quiet, and you’ve neglected to turn on any music. Standing up, you move back to the trailer and pull out your phone dock, setting it on the table under your awning and retrieving your phone from your back pocket. 

Alphys and Undyne have drifted off into conversation as you put on some music. That’s much better, some background sound. You move back to your chair, purposely bumping into Sans’ chair on the way back to your own. He seems to not take notice, and you glance down at him to see his eyes are shut and he’s out cold again. You sit down in your own seat before leaning over to shove his arm.

“I don't understand how you can possibly be tired. You slept all evening!”

He opens a single eye and peers at you, white pin prick studying your features contently. How in the world can he close his eyes anyhow? Or well, his sockets?! You make a mental note to question him more on his anatomy later. You’d prefer to not be caught staring again. Alphys has passed the bottle of whiskey to Fuku, who takes a swig and makes a face, before handing the bottle to you. You eagerly accept it, lifting the bottle to your lips and taking a swig. Hell if you’re passing this on before you take another. Okay, so you may have a slight alcohol problem. It’ll be fine. You roll the liquid over your tongue for a moment before swallowing, relishing in the sensation as it burns down your throat. Tilting your head back, you exhale slowly, enjoying the alcohol much more than you should.

All the while Sans is still staring at you. He’s watching your lips pucker as you swallow your whiskey, studying your face as you squint your eyes. He found himself almost mesmerized by your antics. Completely oblivious to him, you take another drink, once again slowly enjoying it as you swallow and exhale a liquor warmed breath. You put the cap back on the bottle and turn your gaze to him, realizing he’s still looking at you as you pass him the bottle. You can feel the blush creeping over your cheeks once more as you hand him the bottle and turn back to the fire.

He realizes he’s been caught, his face turning a faint shade of blue as well before he seems to bury his face in his shirt. Wait, did he seriously just blush? Skeletons can do that? Ugh, this was going to drive you crazy. Sans clearly isn't just a normal skeleton. Hell, what even is normal anymore. Your friends are a bunch of monsters! 

Fuku catches this little exchange out of the corner of her eye and gives you a look, that knowing friend look of ‘oh man, you totally want to bang the small skeleton’, and you glare at her, in an attempt to squash her thoughts. She wiggles her eyebrows at you and snickers. 

Fuck. What if you _do_ want to bang the small skeleton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr is stalkable here:
> 
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	7. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Learning some of Morgan's dark secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first and foremost, I am sooooo sorry this chapter is late. The last few days have been pretty rough for me. I've had a lot going on and really struggled to find the time to write.
> 
> So, please take this insanely long chapter as my apology.

The six of you sit around the fire for what seems like several hours chatting and just enjoying each others company. During that time you’ve managed to get yourself pretty smashed, and you’ve all nearly destroyed your bottle of whiskey. Oops, looks like somebody will be making a trip to the liquor store in the morning. 

You roll your head back drunkenly and let out a sigh, as the skeletons next to you stand and Sans nudges you gently. You blink your eyes several times, trying to clear your vision before looking over at him.

“ey kiddo, i’m gunna take my bro back to the camper. com’on paps, it's _pasture_ bedtime.”

Suddenly you’re interested in moving much more than you had been in the past twenty minutes. You toss your beer bottle haphazardly into the fire, a stupid move that you’ll regret in the morning when you have to clean up all the glass, before motioning weirdly with your hands at Sans.

“I n-need to go check on Pistol. I’ll come with you guys!”

Oh my, you’d really had far too much to drink. Sans quirks a brow at you once more, amused. You probably can't even stand right now, let alone walk. But you’re right, you needed to go check on your horse and make sure he had water for the night and give him some more hay. You glance over at Fuku who is dozing off in her chair. Not wanting to startle her you make a mental note to check on Evelyn while you’re there.

Papyrus has eaten nearly half of your bag of marshmallows, and has neatly closed the bag, setting it inside your trailer door gently and propping the roasting sticks against the side of the trailer out of the way. He’s probably going to regret eating that many marshmallows in the morning. Well, at least you would had you been the one eating that many of them. Who knows with him, considering the fact he’s a monster.

You get to your feet, a bit unstable, placing your hands out infront of you momentarily, then pushing outwards at the air to the sides of you, looking for some balance. Welp, you’ve done an excellent job of making a fool of yourself. You push your chair out of the way, hoping to be quiet but failing as you move away from the fire. The last thing you need is to fall in the fire. You’ve already made yourself look like an ass for being so drunk, you don't need to hurt yourself too. 

Sans sighs and offers you a hand, and you seem to completely forget the past several hours of teasing you’d received from Fuku as you move over to the skeleton and put your arm over his shoulders for support. He looks over at Papyrus, motioning for him to get moving towards the trailer and that the two of you wouldn't be far behind. Turns out Fuku’s trailer wasn't more than 40 yards down the road from where you’d parked. Well that’s good at least. That’s not too far of a walk for somebody who’s drunker than sin. Papyrus wanders off in the direction of the location of his bed while Sans and yourself walk slowly behind. Once everyone is out of earshot he seems to lower his voice a bit, just to be certain nobody can hear him.

“so, uh kid-”

“Morgan.”

You interrupt him, correcting him of your name. You have not been a child in a long time. He frowns a bit as you can't help but giggle at him.

“i call everyone kid, term of endearment. so what’s the deal with all the drinking?”

You’re caught off guard. Nobody has questioned you about your underage alcohol problem in a long time. Your gaze shifts to the ground and your steps falter. Exhaling deeply you wave off the question as tears pool in the corners of your eyes. Oh right, you’re an emotional drunk. Sans’ permanent smile seems to drop a bit. He lets out a sigh before speaking again.

“okay fine, you don't have to tell me now. i’m going to take you to the barn to take care of Pistol and while you’re doing that i’m going to deal with Paps. you gunna be okay on your own while i’m gone?”

You wipe the tears from your eyes with your free hand, forcing on a brave face as you hear him out. How in the world does he plan to get you halfway across the grounds before Paps makes it to the trailer? You nod in agreement and before you can think any deeper into the question your mind had posed, there’s a flash of blue and you force your eyes shut, suppressing the urge to scream. The sensation is like being on a rollercoaster, or like falling. In a matter of seconds you’re in the barn. The aisle is dimly lit as somebody has left a single set of lights on. Upon returning to reality your knees buckle and Sans reaches out with his free hand to steady you.

Aside from nearly crying a bit ago you’ve been a very well behaved drunk. You haven’t inspected his bones again yet, so that’s a good thing. It takes you a few moments to realize you’ve teleported, and you have to take a few moments to catch your breath. Blinking, you gaze around at your surroundings, the sudden realization hitting you that you’ve actually just been moved by magic.

“What- How?”

You’re startled, but you don't pull away from the skeleton monster who is holding you steady. His grin returns to that sheepish smile and he seems to just laugh at you. 

“magic.”

Well no shit magic, that much was obvious. But you had questions! You wanted to know how it worked and why it was possible and everything there is to know about this ‘magic’. Your eyes seem to light up excitedly, your mood jumping quickly from sad moments ago to now curious. However, you’re still pretty much too drunk for your own good. Sans releases his grip on you and you stumble backwards, finding your balance. 

You frown at this, realizing he’s about to leave you alone in the barn. Before you have a chance to protest, he simply motions an ‘i’ll be back’ and is gone just as quick as the two of you appeared, in a flash of blue light. The horses around you startle slightly at this, and you’re forced to go about your business in the barn. 

Sighing, you place a hand to your forehead and close your eyes for a moment, trying to steady yourself. You really should have minded your drinking tonight. You must look like a drunken fool. It was hard to put the bottle down though, you were having such a good time. This had been the first night in a long time that you’d actually enjoyed yourself at a rodeo. Opening your eyes, you allow your vision to adjust to the dim light of the aisleway before turning to Pistol’s stall.

Sliding open his door you step inside. The gelding is standing there, half asleep. He’d finished his hay hours ago and was taking a nap, finally dried off from his bath hours earlier. You quickly fumble to untie his hay bag, cursing at yourself for not tying it in a more drunk-proof manner. Once you’ve successfully removed the hay bag, you step back out of the stall and bend over to stuff it full of hay once more. You return the haynet to the stall and glance at his water bucket. Of course that’s empty too. This will be an interesting task. 

You remove the bucket from his stall, the gelding pricking an ear at you as he watches you through sleepy eyes. You find yourself smiling fondly at the horse. He was your rock, the one solid thing in your life through all of the changes and bullshit. Pistol never changed while the rest of the world continued to revolve around the two of you. You were secretly thankful that he’d always been so unwavering. 

Leaving the stall door cracked, you mosey down the aisle to the water spigot, bucket in hand. Hanging the bucket from said spigot, you lift the handle and allow the bucket to fill before turning it back off. Now all you have to do is get the full bucket back to Pistol’s stall. Grasping the handle of the bucket firmly, you lift it from the spigot, and heave it to your side before staggering back towards the stall. It’s a clumsy job, and you spill a good bit of the water on yourself, but you manage. You set the bucket down in front of the stall long enough to open the door and step back inside before picking it back up and hoisting it back up onto it’s hook on the wall. Whew, that was a much easier task when you had been sober.

Turning back to your horse, you step to his side, tangling your fingers in his mane as you bury your face in his neck. Inhaling deeply, there’s a unique sense of calm that comes from a horse’s smell. Pistol exhales slowly, a gentle huffing sound to acknowledge your presence. You can feel all of the emotions starting to well up inside of you as you clutch Pistol’s neck. It’s not long before the tears pool in your eyes once more, and you’re too content with your companion to stop them from falling.

“Pistol, I’ve made a total ass out of myself in front of my new friends. I can't imagine what they think of me now…”

The gelding reaches around, nuzzling at your jean pockets in an attempt to look for treats. You never gave them to him often, but he definitely knew where to look for them. Tears roll gently down your cheeks, and you sniffle, drawing back from his neck and running your hands down to his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Sans has teleported back to the barn. You’d been too busy crying into your horse’s mane to notice the flash of blue. The skeleton’s smile falters as he hears you sobbing in Pistol’s stall. He’d grabbed his trademark blue hoodie from the trailer while he was there, and was now shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked silently down the aisle to where you stood in the stall. He certainly didn't want to scare you, so he instead chooses to lean against the stall across the aisle, waiting for you to notice that he’d returned. His gaze shifts to the ground and he scuffs his slipper against the concrete floor quietly.

Pulling away from the gelding slowly, you bury your hand in your sleeve and use the cuff of the shirt to try and blot away the tears from your eyes. You really didn't want Sans seeing you like this. Sniffling once more, you compose yourself, before gently taking Pistol’s head in your hands and planting a kiss on his muzzle. The gelding seems to sigh, soft eyes watching, following your every move. You turn to leave the stall, suddenly realizing Sans had already returned and was standing across the aisle, the ivory color of his bones illuminated by the pale light in the barn. You exhale softly and exit the stall, closing the door quietly before turning to face him.

“How much of that did you see?”

Your voice is quiet, uncertain. He lifts the white pinpricks of his eyes to meet your own, a fake smile plastered on his face. 

“enough to know there’s a lot on your mind. wanna talk about it?”

Your gaze drops to the floor, and you move to the last unopened hay bale in front of your stall, sitting down on it. Clasping your hands together on your lap, you realize it’s time to open up to the small skeleton. Time to get a little bit closer to him, let him in on your secrets.

“I guess you could say I’m a bit of a mess.”

Your gaze stays directed towards the ground, specifically now on your boots as you keep your attention focused on your spur straps. You take the time to take in every detail of the bling on them, each and every crystal and every wrinkle in the leather. The skeleton across the aisle keeps his eyes on you, tilting his cranium to the side slightly as he takes in your words.

“a bit? you drank more than anyone else at the fire tonight. there has to be a reason for that, kiddo.”

There he goes with the pet names again. You try your best to ignore it, but the corner of your mouth twitches with irritation as he calls you it. Thankfully with your head down he can't see that reaction from you.

“Drinking is my way of coping with things.”

You groan, leaning back against the stall and directing your gaze up into the rafters. You’re doing your best not to make eye contact. You really don't want him to see your emotions right now. Little do you know he can see straight through you, and already has more than a clue what’s going through your mind. 

“kid, stop trying to hide things from me. i can see your soul, and it looks like it’s hurting pretty badly.”

You furrow your brows at that. Soul? Humans talk about souls, but they’re not a physical thing in your culture. What in the world does he mean by being able to see your soul? Maybe it’s another one of those weird monster things. You frown, before sighing, resigning to give up more information. You’ll question the soul thing later.

“Look, I’ve been alone on the road for the last two years. Once I turned 16 and got my license my parents stopped traveling with me. I stopped having friends on this journey when I got Pistol. Nobody wanted to hang out with the girl who had everything handed to her. Once I started winning and getting good, the only people who talked to me were the ones who wanted to use me to further their careers. And I was naive enough to let them stick around and hurt me.”

You pause, lowering your gaze to the skeleton. He’s casually leaning against the stall, hands in the pockets of his hoodie. This was the first time you’d really gotten to take a look at him. Your eyes linger over his cranium, taking in his features. Deep dark sockets that seem to carry with them plenty of hidden emotion, white pinpricks that serve as his pupils. His eyes seem tired now that you really have the chance to look. That ear to ear grin… it’s just as fake as the rest of his outward appearance. He’s hiding more than you are. His eyes meet yours and for once you don't look away. You continue to speak.

“My ex, Luke, he was a royal piece of shit. Beat me up pretty badly. He’s a competitive bull rider, thankfully I don't run into him often. Anyways.. I started drinking shortly after I met him, when I was 17. It had been a way to cope with his abuse and the silence of not having friends. Now.. it’s just a way to get away from everything. I’m not used to, well, having friends or being treated right?”

At the mention of your ex, your voice falters and your gaze drops to the ground once more. You hated yourself for loving that guy. Even though it was barely a year, you’d made the mistake of falling head over heels for somebody who had hurt you emotionally and physically. You’d vowed not to let a guy like that hurt you again. Now you’re much more careful. You feel the tears slide down your cheeks once more and you fight to hold them back. Sans seems to let out a sigh as he pulls his hands from his pockets and pushes off the wall he’s leaning against to stand straight once more. 

You can hear the sound of his slippers shuffling against the concrete as he moves over to stand in front of you. From this angle he almost seems menacing. The skeleton monster reaches out and places a sympathetic hand on your shoulder, and you allow him to. You don't pull back as he’d expected you to.

“i’m sorry, kid. nobody should have to deal with that kind of abuse.”

His voice is low, his tone husky and sincere. You feel his grip tighten on your shoulder as he continues.

“so this prick travels and does rodeo as well? i catch him near you and he’ll have a real bad time.”

You can't help but smile through the tears at that comment. Sans was offering to protect you, and you’d only known him for a few hours. What a sweetheart. You wipe the tears from your eyes, peering up at him sheepishly before standing and pulling him into a hug. You wrap your arms around his torso, feeling his bones under his hoodie, but you don't care. This is the first time anyone has really stood up for you. 

Sans is tense as you pull him into the embrace, and his face flushes blue quickly. The two of you are about the same height, and he can feel your breath on his neck bones as you press tightly against him. Humans are so squishy with all of their flesh. He’s upset by the thought that somebody had hurt you in the past, and your soul shows it. Not that you understood souls, but he did. Yours was hurting pretty badly and it was clear to him. For such a brilliant soul, he didn't like the thought of it being so dull and sad. He liked the way he had seen it earlier in the day, when you had competed. It was brilliant and shining then, overflowing with energy. 

He wraps his arms tightly around you, returning the embrace and relaxing into the hug. You can feel the hum of his magic as you’re pressed against him. You probably wouldn't have spilled all this information to him if you hadn't drank so much tonight. Maybe it’s a good thing you did.

You let the hug linger for what seems like ages, taking in his scent and aura. He smells of… something musty and old. But it’s comforting and you like the smell. It reminds you of the old bank barn you used to have growing up before you moved to the new farm. Finally, you decide it’s time to let him go, pulling away slowly. Your face is flushed red as you realize how long you’d been hugging him. He’s a pale shade of blue and you smile at him, he’s cute when he’s flustered. 

“Thanks Sans… I really appreciate it.”

Your tone is quiet, thankful. He pulls away from you, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly before tucking his hands back into his pockets. You step over to Evelyn’s stall, motioning to the lock on the door before getting his attention again.

“Can you open this for me? It’s some type of magic lock and well, I don't know how magic works to open it.”

He forces the blush from his face, regaining his composure and moving over to the door. He takes his right hand from his pocket, running his bony digits over the lock quickly as if inspecting it. Taking hold of it, you watch as his left eye glows that familiar vibrant blue, an aura of the color surrounding his hand and the lock for a moment before the lock drops open in his palm. You’d probably never fully understand how magic works, but you found it fascinating nonetheless. 

“ _snow_ problem kid, for everything i mean.”

There he goes with the puns again. You’d really have to get better at puns, you wanted to be able to keep up with him on that. Work in progress, you remind yourself. He steps back from the stall, allowing you to slip past him and open the door. You make quick work of refilling Evelyn’s hay net, handing out her water bucket to Sans who lazily refills it and carries the bucket back using his magic. It’s times like these that you wish you had powers like that. He made carrying that bucket look so easy. You replace the bucket back on the hook, pausing to love on the little grey mare in the stall as she exhales gently and pricks her ears at you. She’s just so sweet, no wonder Fuku loves her so much. 

Sans watches you interact with the mare, your soul fluttering gently in your chest. He didn't understand why he was attracted to your soul, but he was. And he’d now have to deal with that fact. Stepping back from the mare, you smile fondly at her, before turning to leave the stall. Sans re-locks it with magic again, and you turn to look at him, yawning a bit.

“I don't know about you, but I’m about done being this intoxicated.”

Sans turns away from the stall to look at you, before opening his arms to you. You wonder why he’s asking for another hug, giving him a confused look.

“cant teleport without touchin’ ya, kid. better the contact is, better the teleport goes.”

You find yourself turning red again. Stop thinking stupid things Morgan. You step towards him, wrapping your arms around his neck and linking your hands together as he wraps his arms around your back, reveling in the sensation of your flesh. He’s enjoying touching you far too much. You bury your face in the fur of his hoodie, closing your eyes. That familiar glow of blue surrounds the two of you and suddenly there’s that feeling of falling again. This time you’re prepared for it though, but you press tighter against the skeleton as the vertigo hits. 

In seconds you’re back at your trailer. You take a few seconds to gather yourself before pulling away from the skeleton with a sly smile. He supports you for as long as you need to get your balance, knowing the teleportation is strange for a lot of people. You turn to face the campfire, finding that Alphys and Undyne have wandered off to their tent at Fuku’s. Fuku is still passed out in her chair though, and you feel for her, not wanting to move her far.

You move quietly to your trailer, stepping inside long enough to set up a second bed from the flip out couch. You sneak back out and whisper to Sans, who has patiently hung out near the fire.

“Can you move her in the trailer? I don't want you to have to take her back to her trailer and risk waking her.”

He nods, before quietly scooping the fire elemental up in his arms. She shifts, murmuring something and curling against him. He sighs, she does this quite often and he’s used to relocating her. You watch fondly as he maneuvers her into the trailer and lays her down on the sheets, pulling the blanket up to tuck her in quietly. Thankfully she’d kicked her boots off by the fire. You pick them up and set them inside the trailer door, as Sans steps back out.

You grab the sleeve of his hoodie as he goes to leave, and he turns to look at you. You blush and smile sheepishly at him once more.

“Seriously, thank you for everything… You’re a good guy Sans.”

He shrugs a bit, hands tucked in his pockets as he glances at the ground. He doesn't seem to enjoy being put on the spot. Before he has a chance to respond you plant a kiss firmly on his cheekbone, watching him flush that signature pale blue in response. You step back in the trailer, closing the door for the night, leaving it at that as the fire smolders out, beer bottles littering the camp site.

Sans exhales slowly. Do you even know what you’re getting yourself into with him? Probably not… but he isn't complaining. With that, he teleports back to Fuku’s trailer and heads in for the night.

You quickly change out of your racing clothes into something more comfortable, careful not to wake Fuku before climbing into bed. You’d sobered up a good bit through that encounter and it’d left you thinking. You could get used to having these monsters around. They made you feel welcomed, cared about… not alone. It’s a good feeling. You drift off to sleep, the last thing on your mind the thought of Sans blushing as you hugged him in the barn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find my tumblr here:
> 
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	8. Make Better Life Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to rise and shine for miss Morgan. Hangovers are always fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the total filler chapter, I hope you guys dont mind too much. We'll be getting some more plot details going here soon!
> 
> Also just a heads up, I will be away from Thursday June 16 through Sunday June 19th! I am going to try to get you guys another chapter before then but if not dont panic! I'm heading to a 3 day barrel race and I'll be doing horse stuff all weekend!

6 am comes quick for those who choose to party all night. Although you hadn't set an alarm, your body wakes you. Your head hurts. Badly. You hear a faint snoring coming from the bed near yours, and you glance around quickly, wondering who you could have possibly brought home with you. 

Oh that’s right. Fuku had fallen asleep in her chair and you didn't want to wake her so you had Sans bring her inside. You grab for your phone, glancing at the clock before grumbling at the time. Fuck your internal clock and it’s horrid way of waking you up so early. You groan to yourself, curling deeper into your blankets and closing your eyes once more in an attempt to fall back asleep.

The attempt fails. You lay there for another twenty minutes, listening to the birds chirp outside and the sound of Fuku sleeping in the bed a level lower than your own. Deciding you’d better get up and feed the horses, you roll onto your back and kick the covers off of yourself. God your head is pounding. You need coffee. Badly. 

Sitting up, you dangle your legs over the side of the bed, before hopping down slowly and quietly. You didn't want to disturb Fuku yet, she looked so peaceful. Your eyes fall to the green fire elemental who is sprawled out on the pull out couch, the blanket haphazardly skewed along her frame. Her lime colored flames flickered gently against the blankets and you smile to yourself. You really loved how calm her fire was. Secretly, you had to wonder how dangerous it could be if she was upset.

You make your way to the middle section of the cabin, where the kitchen area is, rooting through your cabinets to find the necessary materials for making coffee. In a matter of minutes you’ve got a pot of coffee brewing. The aroma fills your nasal passages and you inhale deeply, deciding this was one of the best decisions you’d made to date. You were glad you always brought along stuff to make coffee in the morning. Never know when you’d actually need it.

Grabbing for your hastily packed suitcase, you pull out a pair of blue jeans, a turquoise colored tank top with some silly barrel racing quote on it, socks and a matching black bra and panty set. You also grab your shower stuff and some towels out of the hall closet before shoving everything in a plastic bag and heading out of the trailer quietly. The sooner you got the rodeo grime off you the better. You felt nasty after the events of last night. You could have showered in the trailer, but you really didn't want to disturb Fuku, so a trip to the shower house it is.

Directly outside you find your pair of flip flops, and you’re thankful because you certainly didn't want to have to wear your boots, nor did you want to stand in the shower house in bare feet. Some of the other people who used that place can be really nasty. You shut the trailer door behind you as quietly as possible and start making the trip to to the shower house, which is unfortunately across the grounds. You make a note to stop and feed the horses on your way there. 

It’s a warm, brisk morning and there are very few other souls up and moving at the same time you are. Mostly it’s just other competitors in their pjs going to feed their horses before they head back to get more sleep. A few others were loading up their horses and pulling out, heading home or starting their trip to the next rodeo. Had your run been bad last night, that would have been you too. Instead, you have more than enough money to take your time and enter again tonight for the last round of this rodeo. 

A few of the early birds nod a good morning to you as you pass them, and you return the greeting, trying your best not to seem rude. You keep your eyes mostly on the ground though as the sky is bright and it irritates your headache more. It doesn't take long for you to reach the barn in the large outbuilding, and Pistol greets you with a nicker, pressing his nose against the bars of the stall. Evelyn pricks her ears as you walk past her, and you smile, reassuring her that she too would be getting fed.

That little mare best get used to you being around, you had no intentions of leaving Fuku to face rodeo road alone. The path to finals could be brutal enough as a human… you couldn't imagine being a monster and having to face the racism she was facing. Maybe you’re just a rare breed, one of the few who doesn't care what people think of you. You’d been beaten down so much in the past that it really no longer mattered what people said. You hang your shower bag on the door of Pistol’s stall, before going about refilling his hay bag quickly. 

Remembering the lock on Evelyn’s door, you sigh. How were you going to get in there to feed her with it locked? You really didn't want to wake Fuku up just to feed her horse. Her bucket of grain was sitting in front of her stall, ready to be put inside, and you frown. Where was Sans when you needed him? 

You turn back to Pistol’s stall, moving to the tote next to the bales of hay and opening it to scoop out some grain into the second bucket you had sitting near the stall. The golden gelding in the stall shifts his weight from left to right as he impatiently waits for his grain, pressing his face against the bars anxiously.

“Settle down boy, it’s coming.”

You have to hold back a laugh at the gelding’s antics. He sure does love food, that’ll never change. Grabbing the handle of the bucket, you pick it up, before opening the door and pushing Pistol out of the way to hang up the feed bucket. Pistol eagerly steps to the side, only waiting long enough for you to hang it up before shoving his face into the bucket. You sigh a bit, if only he would eat slower. You glance at his water bucket. Thankfully he hasn't drank much water overnight, and you don't need to refill it quite yet.

Stepping back out of the stall quickly, you exit the stall and leave Pistol to his grain. Moving over to Evelyn’s stall, you find yourself inspecting the lock. You lift your right hand to grasp the magical barrier, feeling a surge of magical energy as you touch it. To your surprise, the lock drops open in your hand. You find yourself baffled. How in the world could you open it? It must be trust based. You reach for the grain bucket in front of Evelyn’s stall, before opening the door and stepping inside to hang it up.

The little grey mare steps forward slowly, extending her muzzle to you and nudging you gently. You turn to stroke her cheek lovingly before getting her haybag and stepping back out of the stall to fill it. It’s a habit to care for the horses you know personally, whether they’re yours or not. Fuku had been good to you last night, and you felt like a friend to her, so you were comfortable feeding Evelyn for her. Shoving several flakes of hay in the hay bag, you step back in the stall and duck under the mare’s neck while she eats her grain to hang the haynet back up. You check her water too, finding it to be nearly full as well. Ah good, no dragging around buckets this morning. 

You pat the mare’s shoulder gently, before running a hand through her black mane, smiling to yourself. She’s just such a gentle horse. You really liked her personality. A lot of high end rodeo horses were temperamental or had bad habits. It seemed like you and Fuku had gotten really lucky. Both of your horses were really well mannered and had great personalities. 

Speaking of bad habits, the horse across the aisle from Evelyn was a cribber. He was grasping onto the ledge of the stall with his teeth, leaning back and sucking in air. The resulting sound was an obnoxious ‘grunt’. The bay gelding would then let go momentarily, before repeating the process. You have to wonder why he doesn't have a cribbing collar on, habits like those are destructive to not only property, but to the horse as well. You frown at the gelding, forcing the thought out of your mind as you work to ignore his noises. You run your fingers through Evelyn’s mane one last time before stepping away from the mare and exiting her stall.

You grab the lock, replacing it on the stall and clasping it shut. It glows a faint magical glow in your hands and you let it go before it decides to open on you again. You’d have to ask Fuku why the lock opened for you when she wakes up later. You step back, placing your hands on your hips for a moment. Whew, at least these two were dealt with for the time being. Now you could go get a shower and get back to the trailer. Your coffee was waiting for you after all.

You grab for your shower bag off of Pistol’s stall and head out of the barn in the direction of the shower house. It’d only taken you about a half hour to feed both of the horses. The grounds seemed to be mostly quiet once more as you cross the gravel path near the arena and head to the shower house. They hadn't even started dragging the arena yet. Wow, you really were an early bird. You make your way to the womens side of the bath house, pushing open the door and entering the building.

You’re greeted by a warm, moist gust of air from inside the shower house. It would seem as if a few others had the same idea as you. Thankfully they’d all left and you were alone. Ah yes, a nice hot relaxing shower. You make your way to the back shower stall, pulling out your towels and hanging them over the shower curtain. You quickly pull out your shampoo and soap, setting it in the shower before drawing the curtain closed behind you and hanging up your bag of clothes on the hook on the wall out of the way of the water. Stripping down quickly, you ball up your shorts, panties and tank top and shove them into your bag. 

Stepping quickly into the stall you turn on the water and adjust the temperature as best you can. Only shitty part about the bath houses at these places was that the water was always one extreme or the other. Too hot or too cold. It’s a hair too hot, but you’ll have to deal. Sticking your head under the water, you exhale softly as the hot water runs over your scalp and down your back. Although it’s too warm, the water feels amazing on your joints.

Horse girl problems, it doesn't matter that you’re only 18, you feel like you’re 80 some days. You let the water flow over you for what seems like hours, but is really only minutes before you decide it’s probably time to be productive. You quickly wash and condition your hair, rinsing after each until you’re satisfied that all of the product is out. Grabbing for your wash cloth and body soap, you lather up the cloth and draw it across your torso, turning away from the water so it splashes down your back as you wash the front of your body. You do the same for the back half of your body, before washing your face and then turning to dunk your face under the spray of water. You drop the rag off to the side long enough to wipe the water from your eyes as you pull back from the water, and rinse yourself off quickly.

This had been a brilliant idea. You felt so much more refreshed than you had when you woke up. Though your head still hurt, it wasn't quite as bad and you felt like you could at least face the day now. You resolve to stand under the shower head for at least another five minutes, enjoying the sensation of the water before calling it quits and turning the shower off. The air is chilly compared to the water and you grasp for your towels quickly to find some semblance of the same heat. 

You wrap your hair up in one of the towels on top of your head, out of your way. This made drying your hair later much easier as the towel sucked out a good bit of the moisture. Drying yourself off thoroughly with your second towel, you step out of the wet area of the shower long enough to get dressed. You take a few moments to gather up your belongings and shove them into your shower bag before drawing back the curtain and stepping out into the actual bath house once more.

Stepping over to where the sinks are located, you set your bag down on the counter momentarily before leaning against the fake marble and gazing into the mirror before you. Despite everything, it’s still you. You look no worse for wear than you did yesterday, although you do look a bit tired. Lack of sleep was common for you on the road, however, and you were used to running on caffeine to get by. Nothing a little makeup can’t hide.

You can't help but to remember your conversation with the small skeleton the night before. You’d been so drunk that you’d spewed out your darkest secrets to the monster. You sigh to yourself, staring at your reflection in the mirror. Unlike the few humans who knew your story, Sans hadn't blamed you. When shit hit the fan with Luke, the few friends you had at the time turned on you. They said you had made everything up. Lied about Luke abusing you. Claimed you had taken a fall off of Pistol and lied to get Luke in trouble. That asshole had broken your fucking arm for christ’s sake.

When your parents found out they wanted to pull you from the circuit. Wanted you to stop competing. You refused. The last thing you had wanted was to lose the one thing you loved most. People started ignoring you, stopped talking to you altogether at rodeos. You decided this year you’d take a different path to nationals instead of your usual route. Different rodeos meant new faces and new opportunities. Your parents reluctantly agreed. They just didn't want to see you get hurt again.

You couldn't blame them, and you shared their fear of being hurt again, but rodeo was important to you. At the same time, however, you’re glad you decided to stick with it and take a different path. If you hadn't, you may not have met the monsters that now seem to be a part of your life. You’re glad you met them, they seem far more friendly than the people you previously chose to hang around with. 

Sighing, you remember your pot of coffee that’s waiting for you back at the trailer. It’s nearly 8 am now, the rest of your group should be starting to stir. You needed to clean up the campsite anyways before everyone else was fully up and moving. Maybe you could start a new fire and make breakfast for everyone, that would be nice. 

You take one last look at yourself in the mirror, reminding yourself that this is new start and you’re better off this way. Grabbing your bag, you turn and head for the door. A few other female competitors pass you on the way out and greet you, and you smile at them. How can anyone be so cheerful in the morning? Maybe they were smart and hadn't drank nearly as much as you had last night. Tucking your bag under your arm, you head down the gravel path in the direction of your trailer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	9. Rise and Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for everyone to get moving after a long night of partying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm finally home! It was an incredibly long weekend and I'm totally exhausted. I slept for a good 20+ hours after I got home yesterday. Have another chapter to hold you all over while I struggle to get back into writing. 
> 
> Also this shitpile has more fanart! 
> 
> [Here's Fuku!](http://fuku-universe.tumblr.com/post/145982448547/fuku-mun-cannot-draw-hats-but-i-wanted-her-in-a)
> 
> and [Here's a reader interpretation as well!](http://peaceey.tumblr.com/post/145986699504/i-decided-to-sketch-morgan-based-off-of-your-icon)
> 
> I love you guys so much, thanks for putting up with me while I was gone! Hoping to get back into the swing of things over the next week!

You make it back to the trailer without any problems, opening the door and stepping inside quietly. Fuku is still sound asleep as you sneak inside. The aroma of coffee fills your nose and you inhale deeply. What a wonderful smell. You drop your bag of shower stuff near the door, opting to worry about it later as you’re far more concerned about getting some coffee right now.

You get yourself a mug from the cabinet quietly, pouring yourself a cup of the dark brew and setting it on the counter. Fuku stirs lightly in her sleep, and you freeze in place, not wanting to be the cause for her waking up. The fire elemental rolls over, pulling her blanket up to her neck and pressing her knees nearly to her chest. You smile a bit, she’s so peaceful and cute when she sleeps. 

Grabbing your cup of coffee, you make a break for the door as silently as possible, slipping back outside. You set your coffee down on the table outside, it’s still far too hot to drink anyways, and glance around the campsite. Ugh, you’re sure most of these bottles were from you last night. How much had you actually drank anyways? You’d have to ask Sans or something later. You frown, and go about gathering up the glass bottles littered around the fireplace and strewn randomly around the site.

Once you’d gotten them all collected into a pile, you stand back, satisfied. The bottle you’d thrown in the fire last night had only broken in half, making it pretty easy to clean up. You usually don't get so lucky when it comes to exploding glass bottles. One time at a bonfire somebody had thrown a glass bottle in and you managed to be the one drunken fool dumb enough to walk across the fire in flip flops and step on the glass. A trip to the emergency room and 6 stitches later, and you were good to go. 

Once you’re content that the site is cleaned up, you reposition all of the chairs neatly into a circle once more and kick at what’s left of the fire with your foot. You guys must have been up pretty late last night, as the fire is still smoldering underneath of the burnt wood. Just as you’re adding some fresh wood to the smoldering ashes, you hear the fire elemental moving inside of the trailer. The front door of the living quarters slowly opens and Fuku peeks out at you, looking slightly confused.

“This isn't my trailer.”

You pause in stacking the wood in the firepit to look at her, a laugh escaping your lips at her comment. 

“Yeah you fell asleep in my chair. I had Sans take you inside because we didn't want to wake you.”

You comment back to her, smiling. She seems to lower her head, almost blushing sheepishly at this. She climbs down out of the trailer and closes the door behind her before reaching her arms into the air and arching her back to stretch the sleep from her body. Her flames flicker brighter as she does this, much like a gas stove does when you light it. She moves over to a chair near the fire and collapses into it.

“Sorry about that. I don't usually fall asleep like that, last night must’ve taken a toll on me.”

She sounds angry at herself for falling asleep at your camp. You smile and roll your eyes at her.

“Fuku, it’s no big deal. It was nice having you here last night. I’m so used to being alone all the time. Actually, I meant to talk to you about that.”

Her eyes flicker and she turns her gaze to you, curious. You continue to speak.

“I don't want you to face rodeo road alone. You should just haul with me.”

She starts to blush again, and she crosses her arms across her chest as if to protest.

“I wouldn't want to impose… plus what about my trailer and the others?”

You shrug, sitting back on your butt on the ground and peering up at the fire elemental. Pulling your knees up to your chest, you pull the towel from your hair, shaking your tangled mop out quickly and throwing the towel to the side in the direction of your trailer. 

“You wouldn't be imposing at all, I’d love to have your company. As for the others? Alphys and Undyne are camping in a tent aren't they? My parents have this camper that has been sitting at our house for ages. The others are more than welcome to use that! My family used to use it before we got this trailer. It sleeps 8 people. We’re only about 4 hours from home for me anyhow. We can store your truck and trailer at my place for the season.”

Fuku sighs, realizing she’s been beat and that you’ve thought this through. She sinks deeper into the chair she’s sitting in, crossing her legs to get more comfortable. 

“Your family won't mind? I mean… we are monsters after all…”

Her voice trails off and she seems a bit worried. You press your left palm into the soil beside you, leaning against it as you brush your damp hair out of your face with your right hand. Your parents are the least of your concerns. They’re the friendliest people you know. Unlike the folks here at the rodeo, they’re incredibly tolerant and welcome to new things. You knew after you left on your own permanently that they liked to help out the local monsters offering them jobs or a temporary place to stay. 

“My parents are incredibly nice. They hire monsters in the summer to work the farm. They’ll be more than happy to know you’d be traveling with me. In fact, they’d rather I travel with somebody instead of traveling alone.”

You smile at her and she returns the grin shyly. It’s clear that she’s not used to knowing humans who are so open to monster-kind. You suddenly remember that you should tell her you fed her horse and that she doesn't need to worry about it.

“Oh, by the way, how does that lock on your stall work? It opened for me this morning. I was feeding Pistol and decided to feed Evelyn while I was there. The lock just kinda opened in my hand.”

Fuku shifts in her chair and drops her hands to her lap, tilting her head curiously at you. Her answer confirms your earlier suspicions. 

“It’s a trust based lock. It can sense if you have malicious intent or not. It’s designed that way in case of an emergency. Humans can access it if they have good intent.”

Interesting. Magic sure is fascinating. You hated that she had to lock her horse up like that, but at the same time the barrier was harmless to anyone who had good intentions. This made you feel much better about the lock and how it works. Groaning slightly, you turn over onto your knees and stand, pushing off the ground with your palms and righting yourself. Fuku watches you as you walk over to the table under your trailer awning and grab your coffee. 

You lift the cup to your lips and take a drink. Ah, finally. Delicious caffeinated nectar. You swallow the mouthful of warm liquid and look back over to the fire elemental seated next to the smoldering campfire.

“That makes me feel much better about the lock, knowing it’ll open in case of an emergency. Also, I made coffee. You’re more than welcome to have some.”

You move back over to the fire pit, and before you can sit down Fuku stands up and stretches once more. She motions off in the direction of her trailer.

“I’ll grab some when I get back. I desperately need to change out of yesterday’s clothes. And I should see if the others are awake yet. Want to tag along?”

You nod. Oh man, if Sans is still sleeping you’re totally going to wake him up. The two of you start off in the direction of the camper, side by side. You’re balancing your cup of coffee the best you can, trying not to spill any of it as you wander through the campgrounds. Fuku tilts her head and looks over at you, a sly smile on her face. It’s as if she can read your mind.

“So, you seem rather fond of Sans…”

She holds back a snicker, and you feel your face flush red. 

“Oh my god. I just met the guy!”

You quickly take another drink of your coffee, trying to hide the blush on your face. 

“Ah but you’re not denying it! He’s a good guy, he’d be good for you.”

Oh you’re so screwed. She has you cornered in this conversation and there’s no avoiding it at this point. You swallow your coffee and look over at her. Her flames are flickering cheerfully, and she seems rather pleased with herself for bringing the conversation up. 

“I just.. I don't know.”

She quirks a brow at you.

“You aren’t against dating monsters are you?”

You nearly spit out your next mouthful of coffee at that comment. You force the gulp down and shake your head at her.

“No no! Not at all. I’m just kinda still recovering from a rough relationship, that’s all.”

She gives you a sympathetic look, hearing the pain in your voice as you say that. However she doesn't pry for more info. You’ll tell her when you’re ready. You clasp both hands around your mug as you walk, holding the cup to your lips and sipping from it. Fuku looks away, worried that she’s upset you as her flames dim a bit. There’s a moment of silence between the two of you, and it’s almost awkward before you speak up again.

“He took me to the barn to take care of the horses last night. We talked.”

The fire elemental perks up at this, her lime colored flames flickering brightly once more. She turns her gaze back to you and questions.

“Oh? What about?”

You take a loud slurp of your coffee on purpose, drawing out the tension of the conversation. You swirl the liquid over your tongue momentarily before swallowing. Clearing your throat you then continue to speak.

“Well, long story short I’m an emotional drunk and he knows how to get the information he wants. I basically spilled my life story to him.”

You sigh after you say this and Fuku stifles a laugh. 

“Oh my god you didn't… First night, wow. He’s good.”

She notes, a hint of jealousy in her voice. The two of you round the corner, Fuku’s trailer now visible in the distance. You can see Undyne and Alphys’ tent perched near a tree. There’s movement outside the trailer and it seems like Papyrus is standing next to the tent, almost shaking it. You hear Paps talking rather loudly at the tent and both of you chuckle a bit.

“ALPHYS, UNDYNE, IT’S TIME TO GET UP.”

As the two of you get closer to the scene you hear Undyne respond, her tone sleepy as she groans her response.

“Paps, it’s like 8:30…”

Paps leans down and unzips the tent, letting in the sunlight. Undyne responds by flipping her pillow over her head on the air mattress. Alphys is buried under the covers but you can hear her shuffling around as you and Fuku come to a stop in front of the scene.

“FUKU! HUMAN! GOOD MORNING!”

Papyrus seems delighted to see you both, as he scoops Fuku up in a hug. The fire elemental giggles in response.

“Good morning Paps, is everyone else still just getting up?”

Papyrus places Fuku back on the ground, turning to do the same to you. You wave your coffee in front of him, hoping it would stop him from grabbing you, but it doesn't. You’re holding the cup in your left hand, and fling it to the side just in time to salvage both of your outfits as he scoops you up in a hug. You squeal as he lifts you off the ground, giggling. 

“Morning Paps! Put me down please!”

Well, your coffee is gone. So much for that. The tall skeleton peers down at you for a moment before returning you to your feet and releasing his grasp on you. He turns back to Fuku, putting his hands on his hips and posing gallantly.

“UNDYNE, ALPHYS AND MY LAZY BROTHER HAVE ALL BEEN SLEEPING FOR HOURS!”

Oh, Paps has been up. Why didn't you think to come check and see if anyone was awake when you got up? You can't really be too mad at yourself, you’re not used to having people around in the first place. You peer down at your empty coffee cup, turning it over as you realize it’s truly empty and sighing slightly. You’ll get more later. 

All the while Undyne has managed to face the sunlight and has crawled halfway out of her tent. Her long red hair is a mess and her eye patch is slightly out of place. She groans and flops the rest of the way out of the tent, rolling on the ground in her pjs. You laugh at this, and she lays on her back for a few moments before getting to her feet.

“Paps, I love you but you gotta stop waking me up so early on weekends.”

Her tone is groggy. She adjusts her eye patch back into its proper position and then straightens out her t-shirt. Alphys peeks out from under the covers. She doesn't have her glasses on and she squints her eyes to see what’s going on outside the tent. 

“M-morning already?”

She sounds just about as pleased as Undyne about waking up. Were you guys really up that late? Wow. Alphys lifts a clawed hand to her mouth, stifling a yawn before she kicks her blanket off and sits up. The chubby yellow dinosaur has on magenta plaid shorts and a mew mew kissy cutie t-shirt. Papyrus seems a bit perturbed that everyone is taking their sweet time to get moving.

The tall skeleton is dressed to the nine once again, although this morning he has not chosen to put on his cowboy hat. You glance over to him, motioning to the trailer.

“I take it Sans is still out cold?”

The skeleton huffs a bit, crossing his arms as if to pout.

“ALL HE DOES IS SLEEP.”

You grin. Time to go wake up sleepyhead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr is here:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	10. Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan gets a lesson on souls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've officially hit 50 pages in my master document for this. Holy crap. This is the longest story I've ever written to date and I cant believe we're barely even a hair into the plot yet. Welppppp lol.
> 
> I just want to remind you all how awesome you are as usual.

Turning on your heel, you step around the small group and past the tent with Alphys still inside. Opening the door to Fuku’s trailer, which is much like yours just on a bit of a smaller scale, you step inside and look around. It’s a cute trailer, and all of the flip out beds are pulled out to give room for everyone to sleep. You set your coffee cup on the counter in the small kitchenette and glance over at the pull out couch.

Sprawled out on the makeshift bed is the small skeleton who you had spilled your darkest secrets to the night before. He’s in his basketball shorts and a white T-shirt, which is hiked up his ribcage from him tossing and turning in his sleep. The blankets lay bundled around his legs as if he’s kicked them off at some point during the night. His eye sockets are closed and although he still has that signature smile plastered on his face, it is a much softer smile this time, gentle and unforced unlike the smiles he wears when he is awake. He’s laying on his back, one arm draped across his chest and the other splayed up above his head next to his pillow. 

You can't help but smile to yourself. He looks so… peaceful. Your eyes linger across his face, taking in the tired details you noticed the night before in the barn. You allow your gaze to travel downward, to his exposed ribs, and blush creeps over your face as you notice a multitude of scars over the surface of the bones. You really shouldn't be inspecting him like this. You’d only come to wake him up. His breathing is deep and even, and you quell the uneasy feeling in your gut as you take in the visible scars. There’s one in particular that catches your eye. You can't see all of it, but it’s a rather large slash diagonally across his chest, visible heavily on the bones. What in the world could have happened to cause that?

You force yourself to look away. Keep staring like that and you’ll get caught, or worse, your curiosity will get the better of you. You fight the blush off your cheeks and remember what you came here to do in the first place. You step over to the makeshift bed, grabbing for the blankets and tugging them entirely off the skeleton. He doesn't even budge. You groan. Is he really this deep of a sleeper?

Tossing the blanket on the opposite bed, you turn around and flop down on the edge of Sans’ bed, purposely sitting heavy enough to rock the trailer. The skeleton grumbles a bit, shifting in his sleep and making a face, yet he still doesn't wake up. You reach out and nudge his shoulder, hard enough to wake the average person. You can feel hard bone under cotton cloth. Sans groans and lifts the hand from his chest to rest across his face. 

You sigh. Even you aren't this heavy of a sleeper. You decide to inspect his bones a little closer. You raise your hand to his arm listed above his head, trailing your fingertips down his arm across the bones. That pale blue blush covers his cheeks as he finally stirs, and it’s hidden by his hand covering his face. He opens an eye socket and peeks between bony fingers to watch you. You glance down at him and that hot feeling is back in your cheeks again. Of course that would wake him. His bones must be incredibly sensitive to the touch. You draw back your hand and he slowly sits up, sheepishly grinning at you.

“really are trying to jump my bones, arentcha kiddo?”

His tone is groggy as he stretches. You pull your knees up onto the bed, sitting cross legged and staring at him. He adjusts his t-shirt, realizing it’s hiked up and caught on his ribcage. He scratches the back of his skull awkwardly. You shake your head in an attempt to ward off his comment.

“Sorry, I’m just curious about your anatomy. We humans don't get to see our bones often. Last time I saw any of mine was at the hospital…”

You frown at your comment, grasping your right arm gently. Sans frowns at you, before extending a hand towards the arm you’re cradling. Taking the hint, you extend your arm to him. Delicate phalanges dance across your skin as he frowns at what he finds.

“i can feel an old break… there’s pins in here. what happened?”

He seems genuinely upset that you’ve been hurt in the past. You remember that you told him about Luke, but not really what the guy had actually done to you. You sigh gently and look away as you answer him, sadness in your eyes.

“The final straw with Luke was when he beat the hell out of me. Accused me of cheating with another guy. Grabbed me and threw me against the wall in the barn at my house. I ended up with a broken arm out of the deal. Nobody but my parents believed me when I told them what happened.”

Sans’ grip on your arm seems to tighten as anger is visible on his features. That prick had broken you. He secretly makes a note to himself to never let anyone hurt you again. Your gaze falls back onto his features. His genuine smile has turned back into a forced one as you can make out the fact he’s upset. You dislike that he feels this way because you know he couldn't have prevented this from happening to you. You didn't know him back then.

“Sans, it’s okay… shit happens. I’m okay and that’s all that matters.”

You slide your arm from his grasp and in turn grip his hand with your own, turning his hand over in yours to gaze down at his bony fingers. You really found yourself fascinated by the pearly appendages and the way he was built. His bones are much more sturdy than your own, and it’s interesting to you. Sans seems to sigh gently. 

“i just don't like the thought of you being hurt by some selfish prick.”

His eyes are sad again, his gaze tilted down onto his hand as well. The moment is heavy and heartfelt for the both of you. You pause, realizing you’ve only known this guy for a day. 

“Sans, I don't mean to sound rude, but why do you care so much about me? You barely know me…”

He seems to shrug a bit. He doesn't look up at you.

“not sure kid, just seem to be attracted to you. think it has to do with that soul of yours.”

Here we are talking about souls again. You still don't understand what your soul had to do with anything. Is it really a physical entity? You tilt your head to the side a bit, not quite understanding, and decide to poke the bear a bit.

“In our culture we acknowledge that Souls are a thing, but they’re more or less what’s left of you after you die. They aren't a physical thing to us. Are you telling me Souls are a real thing?”

At that he lifts his eyes to meet yours, his gaze almost curious. Did you really not know about souls? He hadn't realized humans were so blatantly oblivious to the fact souls were actually a thing. The skeleton pauses for a moment before beginning to explain what he can about souls to you, his tone pleasant. 

“all living creatures have souls. it’s the very culmination of your being.”

You’re curiosity has gotten the better of you at this point. You let go of Sans’ hand, clasping your own together in your lap as you lean closer, eager for more information. The question rolls of your tongue quickly as you basically interrupt the skeleton monster.

“What does a soul look like?”

His smile seems to soften at your eager curiosity. 

“souls look like hearts… like how you humans doodle them. like the shape. for monsters, the heart shape is upside down and grey. for humans it’s right side up. there are seven types of human souls.”

Your eyes have practically lit up as you take in this information. 

“a red soul is determination. turquoise is patience. orange is bravery. blue is integrity. purple stands for perseverance. green is kindness. and yellow is for justice.”

He finally pauses in his speech and you shake yourself out of your trance. That’s a hell of a lot of information to take in. So human souls have colors? How cool! You can't help but secretly wonder what color your own soul is. Before you can even open your mouth to ask the question, the door to the trailer swings open and slams against the trailer rather loudly. You flinch at the sound. Fuku shoves her head inside and beams at the two of you.

“Alrighty lovebirds, I don't know what’s taking you so long, but we’re going out to eat. We’re all sick of fairground food and we want waffles for breakfast. So let’s get a move on.”

You and Sans peer at each other bashfully, blushing a bit before exhaling a laugh. She’s right, you’d all been on the road for at least a few weeks now and fairground food was a common meal. Anything but walking tacos and corn dogs sounded like a good deal to you. You shoot Fuku a glare for her ‘lovebird’ comment, and she winks at you, before rolling her eyes and retreating back out of the trailer. You note that she’s grabbed for a bag of clothes near the door in the process. She must’ve prepped early. She closes the screen door, purposely leaving the external door open so the rest of the world can hear the two of you if either of you chose to speak.

You sigh, taking that as your hint to get up and leave so Sans can finally get moving. You can't deny the rumbling in your stomach. You’re starving, and what’s left of your hangover is telling you you need to eat. You shift in your seat, moving to the edge of the bed before standing up. As you move towards the door of the trailer, you give Sans’ shoulder a shove.

“Come on bone boy, get moving. I don't know about you, but waffles sound great.”

He seems to grumble at this, but he shifts and starts to move. You turn your attention away from him and leave the trailer, closing both the screen and external door to give him privacy to change. Outside everyone seems to be fully dressed and ready, save for Fuku who is practically rolling around in Alphys and Undyne’s tent getting changed. You hear her shout from inside.

“God I am so spoiled with the trailer, I don't know how you people live in these things!”

A few moments later the zipper of the tent opens and Fuku pops her head out, lime flames flickering in an irritated fashion. She climbs slowly out of the tent and shoves her boots back on. She too has chosen a tank top and jeans, her top black with “turn and burn” scribbled across the front. Alphys seems to really like shorts. She’s so chubby and cute, you have to give her mad props for rocking those shorts like she does. She’s got on denim shorts and a pink tank top, while her other half has opted for jeans and a red tank top. Undyne is busy pulling her long red hair back into a ponytail as Papyrus is leaning against a tree, waiting for everyone to be ready in an absent minded fashion.

You shove your hands into the pockets of your jeans, and a few seconds later the trailer door opens and out saunters Sans. Had he even changed? Same old basketball shorts, white t-shirt and that classic blue hoodie with the fur lined hood. Quirking a brow at him, you make a note to find him better suited attire for being on the road. He seems really out of place with the rest of your group dressed the way he currently is. Not that he seems to mind. The skeleton gives the group a casual grin as he strides over to everyone, hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie. You glance around at the group.

“So somebody want to tell me how we plan to pile six of us in a vehicle?”

Fuku shrugs and points at her truck. You suddenly remember what state you’re in and laugh.

“Honey we’re in the middle of nowhere, we’re piling into that bad boy and driving down the road to the diner.”

The fire elemental says to you pointedly, holding up her keys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come chat, send me asks, or even rp with me on tumblr here!:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	11. Table for Six?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar face and some puns. Also some racism against monsters because humans are assholes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so first and foremost I want to apologize for my writing style. I understand this story is super like, drawn out and taking its time. I promise there's a point and things are going to start speeding up soon. I'm working on moving locations and getting shit moving here as I go. Sometimes I feel like I write too much and I want to kick myself for it. But I hope those of you who are reading it are enjoying it. It's my little sanctuary for my insanity at the moment. I think we may have some drama happening in the next chapter or two after this one ;) plot stuff happeningggggg. I know everyone wants to see that!
> 
> Anyways, thank you all as usual for reading and being part of this nonsense. You're awesome.

You’re unaware of where the sudden burst of energy comes from, but in a matter of seconds you’re clambering into the bed of Fuku’s truck. Screw riding in front. You wanted to feel like a badass. You hear Undyne loudly call “Shotgun” from behind you as the fish woman scrambles around the front end of the vehicle before practically diving into the passenger seat. Papyrus settles for the back seat of the 4 door truck cab. Fuku’s truck may not have been your brand of choice, but it was still nice nonetheless. A black ford f-250 super duty quad cab. 

Alphys pulls down the tailgate and struggles to climb into the bed, taking seat on the tire hump on the left side of the bed. Fuku climbs into the driver's seat and starts the truck as Sans takes his good old time closing the tailgate and then climbing up over the wheel well into the back of the truck bed as well. The skeleton plopped casually down onto his bottom in the bed of the truck and you turned to face both him and the little yellow dinosaur, leaning against the cab.

“arentcha gunna sit down, kid?”

Sans asks you, almost sounding concerned that you’d foregone sitting in the bed of the truck. You give him a devilish grin, determination glinting in your eyes as you answer him.

“Ever heard of truck bed surfing? I grew up doing it. I don't ‘sit’ in truck beds. I stand in them.”

You say, matter-of-factly. Fuku has rolled down all the windows and turned on music. The fire elemental is leaning out the driver's window and calling back to you.

“I swear to god if you fall out of my truck you’re dead to me. I am NOT responsible!”

You laugh and lean to the side, meeting the fire elemental’s glare.

“Then don't drive like a maniac and we should be fine!”

You straighten back up, turning to face the front of the truck and splaying your legs out a bit to find your balance as Fuku pulls out of her parking spot. You keep ahold of the cab for the duration of the drive through the fairgrounds, as the gravel roads are bumpy. As soon as you’re on the main road though you let go, putting your arms out to the side as if you’re surfing.

Your hair blows back behind you in the wind and you find yourself laughing at your own antics. It’d been years since you’d last done this. The last time you had truck surfed was when you had been a tween, baling hay with your father. You always rode in the back of the truck as he tore through the hay fields. No wonder you had such amazing balance on the main roads. Hay fields were rutty and bouncy in comparison.

Alphys is busy staring at the trees and enjoying the breeze against her scales while Sans is watching you contently. He’s studying your soul as it thrums happily in your chest. It’s such a vibrant soul, even with all of its flaws. He exhales a silent sigh through his teeth, the hood of his hoodie bouncing in the breeze as he leans against the bed of the truck. How could anyone want to hurt such a beautiful soul? He had to remind himself that humans were clueless. They didn't understand each other like monsters did. If only they knew what they actually had.

Undyne leans out the window, her long red ponytail blowing back in the wind as she belts out the lyrics to the song on the radio. It’s such a nice day. You’re honestly glad you aren't spending it alone for once. Sure these monsters aren't exactly what most people would consider ‘friend material’... but they’re perfect in your eyes.

Fuku pulls up to the only red light on the main road… if you can even consider this a main road. There’s no hiding it, the town you’re all in is rather small. Country towns like this one were lucky to have traffic signals at all. As the truck comes to a stop, you rock your weight into your heels, making sure to keep your balance without having to take refuge in grabbing the cab of the truck. The small diner Fuku had mentioned is just up ahead on the right. Your stomach grumbles its approval at this.

The light turns green and Fuku carefully presses her foot to the accelerator, trying her best not to jar your off balance. Thankfully lots of practice hauling horses has made her rather good at this, and the truck cruises forward gently without knocking you off your feet. The fire elemental turns into the parking lot and parks the truck quickly, and in a moments notice you’re all pouring out of the vehicle ready to get breakfast. 

You lead the way into the small diner and a waitress looks up from behind the counter. She gives you a small smile as you guide your group in and find a table, the lot of you taking your seats. The diner is relatively empty, although there’s a few men seated at the bar who give you and your group dirty glares. You sigh at this. People can be so disgusting sometimes. You hope your server is the girl behind the bar, as she seems friendly enough. 

Everyone picks up their menus and you’re already set on what you want to order. You came here for waffles, and you’re going to get them. In a few moments a young woman from the back comes out wearing an apron, pen and tablet in hand as she makes her way over to your table. She takes one look at your group and her smile falters. You can already tell she isn't a fan of monsters. The curly haired blonde stops short at the edge of your table and begins to speak.

“Howdy ya’ll. What can I getcha to drink today?”

Her tone is friendly enough, but you can tell by the look in those baby blue eyes of hers that she isn't fond of your group. Her eyes dance over everyone at the table, stopping on you. You can feel her judging you secretly more and more every second longer she stares at you. You clear your throat, putting your menu down and turning your gaze to her. You make a point to glance at her nametag first before allowing your eyes to meet hers.

“Lucy? I think I speak for everyone here when I say we could all go for some coffee. Thanks sweet cheeks.”

Oh, aren't you a sassy one. She furrows her brows at you, before turning on her heels and practically stomping back to the kitchen. This is going to be a treat. Undyne looks over at you and tilts her head quizzically.

“Something about her set you off, punk?”

You distract yourself by organizing the sugar packets in the center of the table.

“She was eyeing you guys up like you were a fresh fucking meal. I understand some people don't like monsters, but I won't tolerate that kind of bullshit when I’m around.”

The fish monster frowns and Alphys puts a clawed hand on her arm. Sans perks up, offering his voice to the conversation.

“surprisingly enough kid, we’re used to being treated pretty badly by humans. you don't need to defend us.”

You scrunch up your nose at this, ruffling the sugar packets in the container in an irritated fashion.

“Well I’m certainly going to. I know you guys can take care of yourselves, but I’d appreciate some fucking respect from the rest of the people on this planet if they’re going to be around you.”

Sans sighs. You’re cute when you’re angry. He reaches for the bottle of ketchup on the table, popping the top off of it and taking a drink from it. You pause in what you’re doing, hearing the cap open. What in the world is that silly skeleton doing? Oh my god he’s a ketchup drinker… You used to drink ketchup as a dare in high school. You find yourself grinning madly at the small skeleton, who is just looking at you. Papyrus realizes what’s going on and interrupts the strange moment.

“HE DRINKS THAT STUFF LIKE WATER.”

The two men sitting at the bar seem irritated when Paps speaks up, as his voice is rather loud. You grimace at this and make a motion with your hands for him to try and keep his voice down a bit. Before you have a chance to respond, the woman who was previously standing behind the counter is now walking over to your table, pot of coffee and a tray of mugs in hand. She sets the tray down and everyone takes a mug, save for Sans.

This young woman seems much more friendly than the first. She has long brown hair which is pulled back into a loose ponytail, and gentle hazel eyes. You glance at her nametag. Amanda. Why does she look so familiar?

“I’m so sorry about Lucy. You’ll have to forgive her… we don't get many monsters in this town.”

Her tone is sympathetic and her words come on an exhale as she pours you each a cup of coffee. She lifts her eyes to you and pauses, smiling.

“Morgan Hemingway right?”

You’re busy putting creamer and sugar in your coffee. Pausing, you lift your gaze to meet hers.

“Yep, that’s me… you look familiar, where have I seen you before?”

She puts the pot of coffee down on the table, straightening out her apron.

“Amanda Smith. I ran before you last night at the rodeo. Don't ask me how I had the energy to make it to work this morning, because honestly, I don't have a clue. Your run was insane last night! That’s one hell of a fast horse you’ve got.”

She turns her gaze to the fire elemental at your side, before grinning widely.

“And you’re Fuku Fire right?”

The brunette seems elated. She seems to care less that your friends are monsters. Fuku nods to her. You smile and opt to introduce everyone, going around the table.

“Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, and Fuku of course. And well you know me.”

At the sound of Undyne’s name she seems to get even more excited.

“Oh my god you’re the one who pulled off that insane bronco ride last night! Girl, I don't know how you do it, but you’ve got mad strength.”

Undyne seems to blush a bit at this, flattered. Amanda fumbles for the pad and pencil in the pocket of her apron, trying to get back on track.

“I’m so sorry, what can I get you guys to eat? I know fairground food gets old after so many times in one weekend.”

Papyrus looks up at Amanda, lifting his hand from the table and hoping to question her; but you cut him off.

“Paps it’s 9:30 in the morning nobody serves spaghetti this early. You can get waffles, pancakes or a breakfast sandwich.”

You giggle, rolling your eyes. You knew exactly what the loud skeleton was going to ask for. Papyrus frowns, placing his bony hand back on the table and sighing. Sans shoots you a harsh glance and you grimace at him, shrugging lightly.

Everyone but Sans orders. Fuku, Alphys and yourself order waffles, while Papyrus and Undyne order pancakes. Sans peers up at Amanda and simply asks for more ketchup. She gives him a funny look, but makes a note of it on her pad with a scribble of her pencil across the paper. 

Amanda nods, picking up the now empty tray and nearly empty pot of coffee before heading back to the kitchen. You slide down into your seat a little bit, reaching out for your cup to bring it up to your lips and take a sip of the steaming liquid. Your eyes fall to the skeleton currently sipping ketchup across the table. Sans looks over at you, bottle of ketchup pressed to his teeth.

“You know, back in high school we used to dare each other to drink ketchup.”

Sans pulls the bottle from his lips, placing it gently on the table and seeming to swallow before responding.

“you tellin me you _relish_ the stuff?”

A smirk creeps over your features as you take another sip of your coffee.

“ _Mayo_ -be”

“OH MY GOD NOT YOU TOO HUMAN!”

Papyrus interjects, rather loudly. Everyone at the table starts laughing, save for Paps who catches on a few seconds in. As everyone settles down into their own separate conversations you fall into silence, thinking about the last day.

It’d been an amazing 24 hours, hell it hadn't even been 24 hours at this point. You needed to decide if you were going to enter again tonight or not. Maybe you should just all pack up and head to your place to park Fuku’s trailer for the summer. After all she was going to be hauling with you now. You’d figure it out after you ate breakfast. Maybe you and Fuku could take a trail ride in a bit to finalize things. 

You turn back to sipping on your coffee and zone out in the conversation around you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live on kudos and comments. Feed me please.
> 
> Tumblr is here:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	12. An Unwelcome Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan has a run in with someone from her past and our friendly neighborhood skeleton comes to the rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty guys, time for some plot stuff to happen! I know you all wanted some shit to hit the fan, so here ya go. Have some angst! 
> 
> Also we have more lovely fanart!
> 
> [Sans in his barrel]()
> 
> I dont have to remind you all how much I love you, but I will anyways because you're all amazing. <3

You’d all gorged yourselves on waffles and pancakes over the course of the next hour. Amanda had pulled a chair over to the table and was talking to everyone in the group, thoroughly interested in the monsters and their stories. You press your fork into the last bite of waffle on your plate, covering it in syrup before sticking it in your mouth. God were these good. You’d probably pay for the sugar overload later, but it’s totally worth it at this point.

You’re stuffed. You push your plate away from you, leaning back into your chair and groaning in satisfaction. You tilt your head, looking over at Amanda.

“So you live in this little town then? Do you rodeo or did you just enter because it was local?”

She turns away from the others and smiles at you, brushing her bangs back out of her eyes with a free hand. 

“I run there every year because it’s local. With my hours I’m lucky to get a day to myself anymore. But I’d really like to get on the road a bit. Especially with these guys now showing up at the rodeos. Monsters are so much more friendly than our normal crowd!”

She motions to the group as she says ‘these guys’. Everyone seems bashful at this, and you have to smile. They are much better company than the cowgirls and cowboys that frequent the rodeo circuit. You’ve come to realize that over the last day. 

“Well I’m hoping we get to see you around more. Few people are as accepting of these guys as you and I are.”

You smile. Unfortunately it’s the truth, due to the racism the monsters faced there weren't many people content with hanging around them. Amanda nods and heads off to get your bill.

The six of you pay for your food, say your goodbyes to Amanda and head out of the diner. You’re all full and content and ready to try and face the day ahead of you. You opt to sit on the way back, too full to have to try and balance yourself standing. Everyone else piles in and Fuku makes quick work of returning everyone to the fairgrounds. 

In less than 10 minutes you’re back at Fuku’s trailer, jumping out of the bed of the truck and stretching. Everyone scatters about doing things around the camp. Papyrus has decided on the way back that he was building a fire (he doesnt care that it’s the middle of the day- it’s necessary.) so he is currently scouting around the site for branches. The tailgate of the truck is open and Sans opts to remain seated on it, facing the campsite. Alphys and Undyne have retreated to their tent to start cleaning it up a bit… apparently they’re rather messy when they go camping. Who knew? 

Fuku looks over at you and you meet her gaze with a nod. It’s obviously time to go see the horses. The two of you head off in the direction of the barn, Sans gazing after you as you both trot off down the gravel road. The skeleton quirks a brow and turns back to his brother who is now stacking sticks in the firepit and trying to organize them in the most efficient way possible. 

It’s a hike to the barn but you make it in one piece and find your horses quizzically looking at you from behind the bars of their stalls. Their hay bags are empty and their water buckets could use refilled. Of course. Pistol pricks one ear forward, pressing his nose against the stall in his typical fashion and exhaling a sharp breath of air. It’s a loud sound and you have to laugh at him. He does that when he’s annoyed. Fuku jumps at the sound and you laugh even harder at the fact she got scared.

You step inside the gelding’s stall and push him back to retrieve his hay bag and water bucket, before exiting the stall quickly. You’d give him love when you got back. You quickly refill his hay bag and return it to the stall before informing Fuku that you were going to dump and refill Pistol’s water bucket. Your stalls are towards the middle of the barn, but you still have to walk a good bit to get water and dump buckets. 

You haul the bucket down to the end of the barn, turning the corner at the door and dumping the bucket out on the ground. Straightening back up, you turn towards the barn to find an extremely familiar face staring at you. The man stares at you for a few moments, and then speaks.

“Didn’t take you for a monster fucker, Morgan.”

You’re frozen in place. Your heart is pounding. Several waves of emotion course through you. Fear, Regret, Anger. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be in Oklahoma. You clench your hands into fists and sputter out a response.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Luke?”

Oh, you’re angry alright. This is the last person you wanted to see right now. 

“Well, you see, I got to thinkin’ the other night. Started missin’ my favorite girl. But now that I see you’re fucking around with _them_ … I’m not so sure.”

Stepping around the bucket at your feet, you straighten up to stare at the taller man who was casually perched against the wall. You clench your fists tighter.

“So what if I’m fucking with them. They’re better friends than you or anyone else on this shitty circuit have ever been to me.”

You roll your eyes, before unclenching your fists and turning around to scoop up your now empty bucket. You move to fill it, the man’s eyes never leaving you as you transversed. Dirty blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. It’s not hard to see why you’d fallen for the guy in the beginning. He had seemed sweet enough back then. One of the best bull riders on the circuit, dating little old you. 

“So which one are you sleeping with? Huh?”

Oh here comes the line of questions. He’d stood up straight from against the wall and taken several steps towards you. Your heart starts pounding a bit faster and you exhale slowly, attempting to calm yourself. The day he hurt you keeps replaying back in your head if you even think of closing your eyes. You take a shaky breath before mustering up a response.

“What does it matter to you? Luke you and I are fucking done. We’ve BEEN done. What part of that don't you get?”

You quickly turn off the water, your bucket now full. You heave it to your side before turning to walk away from the man who had once made your life a living hell. Before you can even move he’s stepped in front of you, grasping your chin in his right hand and forcing you to look up at him. You drop your grip on the bucket and it plops to the ground, thankfully still full and only a bit of water splashing over the edges.

A slight squeal spews forth from your lips, your eyes going wide in terror. Who the fuck does he think he is to touch you like this?! You had a restraining order on the asshole for god’s sake. He shouldn't even be this close to you right now.

Luke presses you back against the stall behind the two of you, and you force your body as close to the wall as physically possible to try and put some space between the two of you. Just as the bastard is about to speak again, you hear a voice that you couldn't be happier to hear at that moment in time.

“bucko i would highly recommend letting her go.”

Sans steps from around the stalls, having come from the direction where Fuku was still located. He must’ve come looking to find the two of you and gotten concerned when you hadn't returned with Pistol’s water. Oh thank the lord for small skeletons! You want to cry out to him, but your body and mind have completely frozen you in place. You make a desperate glance to the skeleton, and his eyes meet yours for a moment. His pupils are devoid of their usual white lights, instead in their place the right eye is dark and his left; Oh wow his left eye. It’s glowing a vibrant turquoise, with hints of yellow flickering occasionally. This must be his angry face. Magic licks up the side of his skull from his eye socket, and you can't help but feel a chill course down your spine at the sight of this.

Luke seems unphased. He snorts out a laugh at the skeleton, gripping tighter on your chin and turning his gaze to meet the intruder quickly. How inconvenient. 

“Awh look Morgan, bone boy is here to save the day. How sweet.”

Sans is standing with his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie. He clenches his fists into balls and tucks them deeper into his pockets, overall exterior appearing rather calm. He’s furious on the inside. He doesn't need Morgan to tell him who this asshole is, it’s clear as day that this is the prick who had abused you and damaged your beautiful soul. 

Furrowing his brow, Sans steps closer to you and Luke. He’s feeling out the situation. Using magic these days could land you in jail if you hurt another individual with it. However if the other individual was harming somebody and already breaking the law? Sans wasn't sure how the law worked with that one. Best to play it safe. As much as he wanted to beat the kid to a bloody pulp, he would behave… for now.

“i don't think you heard me kiddo, i said let her go and step away. you have no right touching this young woman anymore.”

Sans’ tone is dark, almost scary. You’ve yet to see him be this serious before. You’re shaking now in Luke’s grasp, sweat beading on your forehead. In a panic, you reach out with your right hand in an attempt to push Luke away from you. His reflexes are much too fast for you though, he catches your wrist in his left hand, pulling you close to him. 

“Didn't you hear bone boy? She wants me back.”

What a disgusting lie. You nearly puke into your own mouth. The sound you emit is a disgusting combination of gagging and trying to hold back from throwing up all over yourself. You find yourself struggling against Luke’s hold. Sans takes this as his note to intervene. He pulls his left hand from his pocket, that familiar blue glow engulfing his clenched fist. He opens his hand only for a moment before clenching his fist shut once more. You watch that blue glow surround Luke’s body, the man suddenly realizing this as the sensation of humming magic hits his body.

You can feel it too. It’s pulsing, a reverberating feeling. The sensation of the blue touching you is almost cool, tingling. Luke’s eyes go wide and he turns to face the skeleton, who jerks his hand up and to the left as Luke releases his grip on you. In seconds, Luke is airborne for a moment before crashing back first against the stall across the aisle from where you’re standing. He crumples into a pile on the floor, the blue glow surrounding him dissipating. Sans steps over to the man who is now cowering on the floor. His tone is menacing.

“somehow i highly doubt that’s the case. if i ever see you near her again, you’ll be in for a _really bad time_.”

He turns on his heel, stepping away from the now shaking man. Luke is covered in dirt, and he quickly scrambles to his feet before stumbling down the aisle away from the two of you. He’s muttering racist slurs about monsters and about how bullshit it is for you to be hanging around with them. All the while, you’ve slid down onto your butt against the wall, face in your hands as sobs wrack through your body.

Sans moves over to you, crouching in front of you and pulling you to him by your shoulders. You collapse into him, shifting onto your knees and pressing your head into the fur of his hoodie. Oh god that was too much. Far too much for you to handle. Thank god Sans had shown up when he did. 

The tears just keep falling. You’re shaking so badly. Sans wraps his arms around you and just holds you there, letting you force it all out. He’s rubbing your back gently with his bony phalanges, trying to calm you down to the best of his ability. The skeleton moves his right hand to gently pet through your hair, and you exhale a shaky sigh into the hood of his jacket. Several minutes pass before you gently pull away from him and look him in the eyes.

“Thank you…”

He shakes his head at you, and the two of you sit there on the ground staring at each other for a few moments.

“dont thank me kiddo. that fucker comes back again and he’s got a death wish. i’m not kidding about that.”

He reaches out to brush the tears gently from your cheeks. You let your gaze drop to the ground, the kind gesture causing more tears to pool in the corner of your eyes. Sans slowly gets to his feet and extends a hand to you, and it takes a moment before you decide it’s a good idea to take his hand. You lift a shaky hand to take his own and he carefully pulls you back to your feet. There’s dirt covering your jeans up to your knees. Damn these barns are terribly dusty. You lean down to brush the brown from your clothing. 

Sans reaches for the bucket of water, manually this time, and hoists it up to his side. Although you’re still really out of it, you exhale a sound in an attempt to tell him you’d get it. He shakes his head at you. You probably couldn't lift that bucket right now if you tried. Maybe it’s not such a good idea to stick around for the second round of the rodeo tonight. Especially with Luke trudging around the grounds. Sans may have scared him off for now, but that doesn't mean that asshole wouldn't take more extreme measures just to get his way.

You clear your mind the best you can and head off in the direction of Pistol’s stall. Fuku is there to greet the two of you. You look extremely out of it and Fuku notices it, putting a hand on your shoulder and looking you straight in the eyes.

“I feel like I’m missing something, are you okay?”

Sans speaks up before you can even open your mouth.

“kid had a run in with an old friend. he doesn't seem to like us very much but i think i gave him a good _spook_.”

Really? More horse jokes? Sans please. Your body relaxes a bit as you roll your eyes in response to the pun. You slip away from the two of them to cling to your horse. Stepping quickly into Pistol’s stall, you loop your arms around his neck, digging your fingers into his cream colored mane. Pistol is used to being a shoulder to cry on, and the gelding exhales gently against you. Neither Sans or Fuku fights to keep you from your horse, as they know he’s been your primary source of comfort for a very long time. 

You’re emotionally drained. It doesn't matter that it’s barely even noon, you’re ready to just be done for the day. Sans has already replaced Pistol’s water bucket and you’re thankful for him having been here to rescue you. What if he hadn't shown up? What would Luke have done if nobody had stepped in to stop him. You shudder at the thought. 

Fuku and Sans lean against the stall watching you, obviously concerned for their human companion. 

What else would that prick have in store?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed me kudos and comments, and submit your fanart to my tumblr!:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	13. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We head back to Morgan's farm and meet yet another monster. Gunna be time to meet the parents pretty soon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize as this chapter is total filler crap again. I had one of those "oh lets start writing and see what happens" moments and well, it's critical "get from here to there" info but like it's all filler junk. I'll be trying to bring all of the characters we know and love into the story at some point, so please bare with me as I work my way through that. It's been getting harder to find places to shove new characters in. I have plans to bring mettaton in and I just couldnt do that at a rodeo, at least not a low end one like the one the characters were just at. I also wanted to designate a home base for these guys to come back to at some point because it's hard for them to be on the road all the time with no actual given location.
> 
> Please excuse my ramblings as it is 2am and I am releasing this. I love you all, thanks for putting up with my shenanigans. Better chapters to come, I promise.

You’re curled up in the passenger seat of your truck. Sans is driving. He’d convinced you to leave the rodeo after the incident. Fuku and the others had packed up as well and you were all making the drive back to your parents’ house. The highways seemed like a blur and the drive went pretty quickly as you had slept for most of it. You’re thankful Sans had stepped in to drive your rig for you. You didn't know if you had the energy to do it yourself.

You blink your eyes sleepily, stretching out in the passenger seat. Sitting the seat up you take notice that Sans is pulling into the driveway of your parents’ place. The long driveway is a welcome site. The horses in the pasture come running to the fences to greet you, nickering and moving along the fenceline with the trailer. You’d called ahead before you left and let your parents know you’d need an extra stall and some sleeping room for some friends, which they were more than happy to oblige with. They were even more excited when they found out your friends were of the monster variety.

They had been worried at first when they found out you’d be stopping back home so soon. You usually don't visit too much during the summer months. But Sans had taken your phone from you, introduced himself, and explained the situation. Your parents had been incredibly grateful you’d met such a wonderful guy who had been willing to protect you. 

You peer out the window, smiling at the horses who have gathered at the top of the pastures to greet you as you pull in the drive. The cows in the back fields don't seem to pay you any mind, and that’s okay. They are cows after all, they’re more concerned about eating than anything else. Sans pulls the truck and trailer to the end of the drive which opens up into a rather large parking area, parking it and turning off the engine. It feels good to be home.

You unhook your seatbelt and quickly jump out of the passenger seat. Upon jumping from the truck, you’re greeted by a rather large bundle of fur. You find yourself laughing as the dog jumps on you, desperately looking for affection.

“Percy! Down! Settle down boy!”

The blue merle australian shepherd pants loudly, wagging his tail so hard that he shakes his entire hind end. You shake your head at this. Percy had been your parents dog for the last 5 years. He had been purchased to travel with you, but you had decided in the long run that having a dog with you on the road would have been too much work. So he was more than content to stay home with your parents and herd the cows and horses here on the ranch. The dog slowly but surely calms down, and opts to sit at your feet. You cock a smile at him and reach into the truck to grab for your lead rope. Probably a good idea to get Pistol unloaded and put away.

Stepping around Percy, you make your way to the back of the trailer. Sans has climbed out of the driver's seat and made his way back to Fuku’s truck. She’d pulled up behind you, giving you just enough room to get Pistol unloaded. You make your way to the back of the trailer, opening the right door and dropping the butt bar to allow you access inside. You quickly open the dividers to get to your horse. Pistol stands quietly in the trailer, peering over his shoulder at you as you unhook everything and tie the dividers back. 

Once you get everything out of the way you move to his head and unclip him, replacing the trailer tie with the lead rope in your hand. Only then do you begin to cue the horse back off the trailer. Pistol complies, backing slowly out of the box on wheels. As he gets to the edge of the trailer you cue him with a simple “Step.” for each of his four feet as he backs off and onto level ground. All the while Fuku has parked her truck and gotten out, standing and watching you unload your palomino horse.

You glance back at her and smile. 

“Go ahead and unload Evelyn, my parents had the stablehand put sawdust in the stalls for us.”

She nods at you, before turning to grab her lead and unload her own horse. You lead Pistol to the back of her trailer, waiting as she follows your lead and unloads Evelyn from her 3 horse trailer. The little grey mare backs out easily, realizing once she’s out on solid ground that she’s somewhere new. Evelyn peers around through wide eyes, inhaling a deep breath and snorting at her surroundings. You chuckle a bit at this. Fuku shrugs a bit.

“She’s weird when it comes to new places. Takes her a day or so to settle in the first time.”

You find yourself smiling at the mare’s antics. Turning in the direction of the barn, a large newer outbuilding not far from the parking lot, you motion for Fuku to follow. Pistol exhales a slow sigh and picks up a steady pace behind you. As you reach the door of the barn, a medium height orange cat monster in jeans meets you. He’s pushing a wheelbarrow and he sets it down to greet you.

“Hey little buddy, you must be Sam and Jenny’s kid.”

Let’s be realistic here. You would have been slightly surprised by this monster had you not just spent the last 24 hours with a group of the sorts. But, your parents enjoyed giving monsters jobs once they came out to the surface, so you knew better than to be surprised by seeing a monster here on the farm. A talking cat monster was definitely a new one though.

Fuku exhales a laugh and steps around you into sight.

“Oh my god Burgerpants is that you?”

The cat monster steps around his wheelbarrow, out of the barn. He pulls a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and quickly lights one. Better hope your parents dont see him smoking this close to the barn. He takes a deep drag of the cigarette, before turning to the fire elemental.

“Fuku Fire. Haven't seen you since you were just a flame. How ya been little buddy?”

What is it with these monsters and their pet names? Sans calls everyone kid… this monster prefers to call everyone little buddy. How strange. You secretly hope to yourself that you’d get used to the nicknames eventually. Fuku smiles and pats Evelyn's shoulder before turning her attention back to the cat monster.

“Surviving! I guess that’s the best we all can hope for. I see you’ve finally gotten away from Mettaton. Never expected to find ya here though! Didn’t think manual labor was your jam.”

The cat seems to scoff at this, taken aback by the fire elemental’s comment. He quirks a brow at Fuku, taking another drag of his cigarette. 

“It’s usually not, but ya know I’ve actually only been on the surface for about a month now. The Hemingways were nice enough to take me in and offer me this job, and the work is way easier compared to the shit Mettaton had me doing in the underground. All I do here is take care of the horses and as an added perk I get to chase the mice in the barn.”

He seems honestly more excited than he should be about that last part. Well he is a cat after all. You can't help but wonder how the actual barn cats are handling his presence. You speak up.

“So are you the only monster my parents have working at the moment?”

He shakes his head before stepping around to the side of the building and pointing back at a couple of the fields. 

“Greater Dog is running around here without his armour somewhere. He’s discovered that barking at the animals gets them to go where he wants them to… Just don't tell him he isn't a herding dog. Percy has him under the impression he is.”

Greater Dog? You tilt your head and quirk a brow. Turning to Fuku, she sees your confusion and laughs.

“G.D. for short. He was part of the royal guard in the underground. Doesn't talk, but one of our best protectors we had. About yay big, solid white, and a total ball of love.”

She makes a motion at a little over her knees to show how tall GD is without his armour on. You smile at this, he sounds like a big white fuzzball. How sweet. You mentally note not to ruin the dog’s fun in being a pretend herding dog. Burgerpants looks at the both of you, and then at your horses.

“Oh, by the way your stalls are ready for you. I just finished them up a bit ago. Down at the far end here on the right, near the feed room.”

He makes a motion down the aisleway. You nod, thanking him. The orange cat monster puts his cigarette out, dropping it on the ground and squashing it under his boot before turning to pick his wheelbarrow back up and continue his work. As he walks off, you turn to head down the aisle, talking over your shoulder to Fuku.

“So did everyone know everyone in the underground? Because it certainly seems that way.”

She shrugs a bit, guiding Evelyn behind you and Pistol down the aisle.

“Basically. To be completely honest, the Underground was a pretty small place. I mean, it was cozy, but the reality was there were a lot of us underground in a very limited amount of space.”

This makes you frown. You grip your leadrope a bit tighter, making you way to two open stalls at the end of the aisle near the indoor arena. If there was one nice thing about your parents’ place, it was the fact that they’d gone all out on making sure it had everything. They’d purchased the ranch several years ago with saved up money. 

It upset you that the monsters had been stuck underground for so long. While you had grown up with such good luck. You knew others weren't so fortunate and these monsters were testament to that.You especially disliked that they really didnt have all that much room. The overworld must still seem huge in comparison to the underground. 

Opting to take the stall on the left, you lead Pistol in and pull off his halter. You don't even need to get him hay or water, as there’s already hay piled into the wall manger and the water bucket is full. You’d have to thank Burgerpants later for getting this ready for you. Fuku follows suit with Evelyn in the stall to the right and both of you close them in and hang up their halters. You turn to her with a smile.

“Well, I don't know how long we’ll be staying here, but this is home for now. We have a guest house with plenty of rooms, so don't feel like you’re imposing. I don't know about you but I don't feel like hitting the next rodeo straight away with my ex on my ass. We can totally just stay here and break colts for a few weeks and enter the local barrel races.”

The green flame turns to face you, leaning back against the stall with a smile.

“How many rodeos can we miss and still make it to nationals?”

You shrug a bit.

“We can miss a couple. There’s the big local one upstate in a couple weeks anyhow. It would be good to take a week off. Actually hang out a bit.”

Evelyn shoves her nose through the bars of the stall, huffing gently at Fuku’s lime colored flames. She smiles and reaches into the stall to caress the mare’s muzzle.

“Sounds good to me. We should probably go round up the others.”

She says with a wink, and you nod. The two of you head back down the aisle towards the exit of the barn. 

Maybe it will be a fun summer. It’s only the beginning after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a starving artist, feed me kudos and comments. And come visit me on tumblr:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	14. Let's Take a Feels Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the parents and a feels trip with our main character. Sans to the rescue once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hell of a time writing this chapter. I accidentally wrote myself into a corner with the last chapter and welp, the beginning of this one is terrible. I hate it. But we needed to get from point a to point b, so it's there. I hope the rest of the chapter makes up for it. We're starting to build more of a relationship between our main characters here, and that's the goal for the next couple chapters. Plot progression and gooooo! 
> 
> But yeah sorry this took so long to put out. I struggled with this. Next chapter will be lots of fun to write, I've been waiting to write a scene like the one that'll be coming up!

As you walk back across the driveway, you find everyone standing in a small group near the front of the large farm house opposite the barn. At the base of the porch steps stand your parents. Your father is a tall man, about 6’1, rather decently built and a bit rough around the edges. He’s got short brown hair and blue eyes, and his farmer’s tan is noticeable around the edges of his flannel t-shirt. Grey hairs pepper through the brown on his scalp, although it’s not as bad as most people his age. He’s got on a pair of Levi’s and his good old faithful work boots. 

Your mother is a hair shorter than yourself, with long strawberry blonde hair which is pulled back in a loose bun. Her soft green eyes are the most striking of her features, and she’s dressed in jeans and a tank top. She looks great for her age, it’s clear to tell the couple works hard on the farm and stay incredibly active. Jenny has her arm looped through her husband’s casually as she greets the monsters which have gathered around the porch.

You and Fuku make your way to the group, weaseling your way into the circle. Your mother lights up as she spots you, releasing her loose grip on your father before pulling you into a hug.

“Morgan! It’s so nice to see you! And I love your group of friends!”

Oh gosh, mom. You chuckle, pulling her tightly to you for a moment before gently pulling away. She peers at you fondly and glances around the group before continuing to speak.

“Well, are you going to just stand there? Or do you plan to introduce everyone?”

You clear your throat, stepping out of your place in the circle to stand next to your mother. You go around the circle one by one.

“Fuku, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys and Undyne.”

You motion to each of them as you say their names. Each one gives a smile, waving a greeting. You continue to speak.

“And for all of you, these are my parents, Sam and Jenny Hemingway. Proud owners of Bar H Ranch.”

You dramatically step back out of the group, opening your arms wide and spinning a circle to gesture to the property around you. If there was one thing for certain, you had been blessed with this property. It had been a family purchase when you were rather young, so you’d grown up in the rolling hills of Colorado. Your father had originally been a real estate agent from the east coast, deciding that the city was not the place for him. He’d grown up in rural Ohio, heading off to college straight after high school. 

He’d met your mother when he was fresh out of college, on a chance visit to a bonfire with some friends. Your mother had been in town with some friends for a rodeo that weekend. Your mother had been a barrel racer and also competed in goat tying on the side. She’s dangerous with a lasso. You glance over at your mother with a smile, there’s a devilish glint in her eyes. She’s definitely where you got your wild side from. 

Long story short they were tired of the east coast and had moved west before you were born, finding the farm only a short time after you were born. Your father had adjusted to the country life pretty well. You watch happily as your friends and family fall into random conversation. Maybe it will be fun being here at home for a bit.

\---

You make your way through the door to your bedroom, sighing gently as you take notice it’s been left untouched as usual. Your room had always been your safe place, aside from being in the saddle of course. Stepping inside, you glance around the room. It’s still painted the same shade of olive green as it had been since you’d moved in here. You’d moved out of the main house when you were 15, demanding that you could “adult” all by yourself and handle it. Your parents had laughed at you and expected you to come back in a few days. It never happened.

You take a seat on your queen sized bed, running your hands over the green paisley comforter. Glancing over at the wall to your right you smile, taking notice of all the ribbons haphazardly strewn across the wall on pieces of string. You’d competed so much as a child. All of your bookshelves were covered in trophies and buckles. It’s almost overwhelming seeing it all here in one place like this after having been on the road for the last year. 

Instead of coming home last winter, you got an apartment near the city and boarded Pistol at a nearby farm. During the off season you usually just came home and worked horses for your family. But after everything that had happened with Luke last summer, you wanted to try something else for a bit. Your parents had been confused, but they understood. 

Your eyes fall to a picture frame on your dresser. It’s a photo of you and Luke. They really hadn't touched anything. A pang of anger hits you. Tears well up in the corners of your eyes and you feel yourself clenching the bedspread in your fists. However you don't move from your spot. You just sit there, letting the tears fall down your cheeks as you stare at the photo.

How did you ever love somebody who had hurt you like that? How hadn't you seen the signs? Why didn't anyone else see them? Was he just that good at hiding his manipulative behavior?

Before you knew it you’d resolved to curling up on the bed in tears as the intensity of your breakdown hits you. You’d pulled a pillow to your chest and were clinging to it as you sobbed heavily into said pillow. The door to your room is open and as far as you were aware, you thought you were currently alone in the guest house.

You’re not. Sans had come inside a bit before your breakdown, and could now hear you sobbing from the living room. Not only could he hear you, he could sense the sadness and anger in your soul. The skeleton pulls himself up from his seat on the couch and moves up the stairs towards your room. He makes his way to your door, which is halfway open, and peeks inside. Just as he had suspected. 

Stepping inside the room slowly, the skeleton scans the room for what may have upset you. You don't notice him entering the room, you’re too consumed by crying. Sans spots the picture, frowning. He quickly steps over to the dresser and turns the picture face down so it’s out of view before moving over to the bed. He sits down next to you, and you startle slightly, pulling your face from the pillow to see who had come into the room without you noticing.

You relax when you see it’s just Sans. He was far too involved in your life problems already for you to be upset with him for seeing you like this. It wasn't the first time he’d seen you cry, after all. He reaches out to caress your back, but you respond by releasing your grasp on your pillow and throwing yourself into the skeleton’s lap. Surprised by this, he emits a huff, before wrapping his arms around you.

No sense trying to pull the loner card with him. You nuzzle your face into the fur of his hoodie, your tears soaking into the fuzz and wiping the liquid all over your own face. Frankly, it doesn't matter to you that you look like hell right now, this skeleton monster has been the closest thing to comfort you’d had in a long time. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and pull yourself tightly to him. You’d seated yourself in his lap, legs strewn along the bed and your torso pressed closely to his own.

You could feel the hum of his magic, and it’s the most comforting thing about the creature you’re sitting on. Sans exhales a sigh, wrapping his arms around your torso and tugging you against him. He hated to see you like this. Sans was glad he met you, and as certain as he was that you were unaware of the connection between the two of you, he was sure he wouldn't be able to let go of you at this point. The last few days had been the best so far of his days here on the surface. He rests his chin on your head gently, gazing over at the reflection of the two of you in the mirror on your dresser.

Even in the reflection, he can see your soul thrumming in your chest. It’s beating in a hurt fashion, the cracks along its exterior shell pulsating with every exhale of a sob. The colors of your soul are dim, however not nearly as dim as they were prior to Sans holding you. He starts rubbing circles over the small of your back, just as he’d done the previous day after your encounter with Luke. You exhale a shaky breath against his hoodie. Eyes closed, you don't want to open them right now.

You feel safe. Right here in this monster’s arms, you feel safer and more content than you’ve been in a long time. He’d done more for you in the last couple days than anyone had in the past, save for your own parents. You understood there was some kind of connection between the two of you, but what, that you couldn't quite comprehend. Maybe with time you would. Neither of you have said a word at this point. It hadn't been necessary. Just the company was more than enough.

When you’d finally settled down and the tears had stopped falling, you slowly pull away from him, sitting up in his lap and peering into those white pinpricks that serve as his eyes. His features express concern. You don't like to see him so worried. Your face is red and puffy from crying. You reach up quickly and rub your eyes on your arm, wiping away what’s left of the tears. Sans gives you a small smile, and you immediately begin to speak.

“I-”

“stop it.”

He cuts you off, as soon as you try to apologize for crying. You exhale a sigh and peer down at the zipper of his hoodie. Instinct to mess with things tells you to play with said zipper, so you do. Right hand moves to clasp hold of the object between your fingers, before slowly running the zipper up and down it’s intended path, the satisfying sound meeting your ears before you fumble out more words.

“You shouldn't always have to find me like this-”

“i know”

Once again he immediately responds, almost before you’d finished speaking.

“I’m not always this much of a mess-”

“i’m aware.”

“Sans-”

“kid, it’s okay, stop worrying about it.”

He’s got that dopey grin on his face again, his eyes are soft and caring. Exhaling another sigh, you press your hands back into the comforter, leaning on them as you peer at him from his lap. He seems just as content as you. The two of you fall into silence for a few more minutes before you glance towards the clock.

“Shit, it’s nearly 6, when did that happen?”

Sans chuckles a bit, shrugging.

“we got here at 1, took everyone a while to get settled in. guess it was a bit _time consuming_.”

You snort at the joke, trying your best not to laugh at how bad it was.

“That was a terrible pun.”

“you laughed.”

He retorts quickly, grinning sheepishly at you. You roll your eyes and climb out of his lap, standing up. He peers up at you lazily from his seat on your bed. Straightening your shirt a bit, you notice Sans had turned the photo on your dresser down out of your view. Good. Maybe you can ask him to dispose of that later. You honestly wanted nothing to do with it.

“I should probably go help my mother with dinner.”

Sans grin gets a bit wider and he nods his head in agreement.

“we should probably both go check. i bet paps and undyne are helping her as we speak. that could get messy.”

You inhale sharply at this. Messy? Sans almost laughs at your expression.

“paps loves to cook. undyne ‘taught’ him how to cook in the underground. let’s just say her methods aren’t very, uh, conventional.”

He air quotes as he says the word ‘taught’. Your mother probably has her hands full. Oh gosh. You exhale a nervous laugh and grab the skeleton by the arm, pulling him to his feet.

“Come on lazybones, we need to go check on them.”

He laughs at this, but willing follows you out the door. Let’s just hope they haven’t burnt down the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More feels trips available on my tumblr, also story notes and random crap:  
> peaceey.tumblr.com


	15. Making Pasta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to make dinner. Will the Hemingway kitchen end up a mess?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really wanted to write a chapter about making spaghetti. I apologize for the minor religious stuff in here, I promise we wont be seeing that again for the most part. It just kind've happened. It's a common theme here where I live for people in the rodeo industry to be pretty religious. However I dont plan to include that in the rest of the story if I can help it. I just wanted to give some depth to the background of Morgan's parents. Anyhow, this is a filler chapter with a little hint again at souls. It should hold you over while I write some cute fluffy stuff for the next chapter.
> 
> As usual, you guys are awesome. I completely understand this fic isnt what most people expect of the fandom and that's why it hasnt received the same amount of attention as some of other fics out there have. That's totally okay with me. I'm just glad you guys who are reading it enjoy what I've written. I love you guys!

The two of you mosey across the yard, as much as you’d like to rush Sans is having none of that. He’s enjoying the late afternoon on the farm. You have to admit, this is a rather nice place. The evening air was beginning to cool off and the sun was beginning to cast long shadows across the property. A few chickens scatter from your path as you cross the grass.

Heading in through a side door, you end up directly in a mud room off of the side of the kitchen. As if on cue, you hear Undyne speaking rather loudly from the other side of the wall.

“You gotta smash the tomatoes, punk!”

You quickly tug off your boots in the mudroom before peeking around the doorway to see what was going on. In the kitchen stands your mother, Papyrus and Undyne. All three of them are wearing cooking aprons, and it appears as if Papyrus has found the chef hat you had worn when you pretended to play dress up. You stifle a giggle by quickly shoving your hand to your lips before making your way into the kitchen, Sans at your heel. 

Alphys and Fuku are seated at the table, watching the chaos. Your mother is stood at the counter, before her a can of pasta sauce. 

“But, Undyne darling, we don't need to smash any tomatoes for this spaghetti. We already have pasta sauce!”

Undyne is standing facing the other redhead, and the two of them seem to be having a standoff concerning tomatoes and pasta sauce. The red haired fish monster puts her hands on her hips and frowns.

“We always made our own sauce underground, how come you punks don’t have to do that up here?”

Your mother shrugs. Papyrus is at the stove, tending to a large pot of noodles. He appears completely oblivious to the situation going on behind him. He’s humming some tune to himself and stirring the noodles gently every minute or so with a big wooden spoon. Jenny turns to the tall skeleton, moving to his side and peering into the pot of noodles.

“Are we looking good over here?”

Papyrus grins at your mother.

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS’S SPAGHETTI IS ALWAYS THE BEST!”

He states, matter-of-factly, before taking a dramatic pose in front of the stove. He nearly knocks the pot off of the stove and you cringe. No wonder Sans said this could be hazardous. Jenny reaches out to steady the pot quickly, saving it from Paps and his poses. There’s an audible laugh coming from the table from Fuku and Alphys, although they’re doing their best to stifle it. 

You lean on the kitchen counter, out of the way of the chaos and Sans takes a seat at the table with the other two. The smell of spaghetti is strong in the kitchen and you have to wonder if it was your mother’s idea to make it or if Papyrus had influenced her judgement. Either way you weren't complaining. This would be your first home cooked meal in weeks and you’re more than excited for pasta. A smile plays upon your features as you study the scene before you.

“So I have to ask, whose idea was it to make spaghetti?”

Before Paps can interject Jenny turns to you with a smile and speaks up.

“I asked everyone what they’d be interested in for dinner and Spaghetti seemed to be the general consensus. Apparently pasta is a huge deal to these guys.”

You roll your eyes a bit, exhaling a gentle laugh. Your mother checks the noodles, discovering that they’re ready before she pulls the pot from the stove and turns it off. You instinctively grab for the jar of pasta sauce and weasel your way between the other two monsters in the kitchen to set the jar near the sink. Jenny makes quick work of straining the pasta, and Paps watches with a child like expression, as if he’s trying to make sense of her tactics to make pasta. You secretly wonder to yourself exactly how bad of a cook Undyne must be if Paps is still learning to properly cook spaghetti. 

You slip back out of the group before Undyne and Papyrus crowd around your mother as she flops the noodles back into the pot. You can't help but smile at their enthusiasm concerning the work in the kitchen. Jenny quickly grabs for the jar of spaghetti sauce that you’d moved to the sink, popping the cap off the jar easily and pouring the entire jar into the pot. 

“There we go, just need to give it a good stir and we’ll be good to go”

Oh lord, what had your mother started in saying that? Undyne and Paps both dive for the wooden spoon, tumbling over each other. You gasp and watch in horror as they battle it out to see who would put the final touches on the pasta. Jenny reacts quickly, hovering over the pot to protect the food. She groans at the two monsters who are now arguing over the spoon behind her.

“C'mon Paps you got to stir the noodles!”

“BUT UNDYNEEE…”

Papyrus practically whines at the fish monster, but before you know it Jenny has turned around and is staring at the both of them. Hands on her hips, she raises a brow as she speaks.

“Alright my children, that is enough!”

Oh gosh, mom voice. The two monsters quickly turn to look at the redheaded woman who was staring them both down. The two of them blush sheepishly, Paps releasing his grasp on the spoon and scratching the back of his skull in an embarrassed fashion. Jenny puts a hand out, palm flat, expecting the spoon to be handed to her. She’s had enough of this shenanigans. Undyne hands over the spoon without protest.

“How about you two get the plates and silverware?”

Your mother suggests as she turns back to the steaming pot of pasta. The two monsters glance at each other, as if trying to decide who would get what, before you step in to settle the argument before it even begins.

“Paps, plates are in that cabinet over there. Undyne, silverware is in here.”

You point at the cabinet over to the right of the sink for Paps, and then at the drawer you’re standing in front of for Undyne. The tension in the air subsides once again as they scramble to gather what is needed. Within minutes the huge dining room table is set and everyone has taken a seat, aside from your mother and yourself. Jenny looks to you with a smile.

“Go yell for the boys, would ya? Your father is out in the fields with GD and BP should be in the barn. You’re the only one loud enough to even begin to get their attention.”

You roll your eyes. It’s unfortunately the truth. If there was one thing you had been gifted with, it was a big mouth. You were always the voice overheard at rodeos and everyone always knew you were in the stands. You quickly dart for the front door, stepping out onto the porch. Bringing your fingers to your lips, you exhale a sharp whistle followed by a loud yell.

“BOYS, DINNER’S READY!”

Off in the distance you see two bundles of fur come bounding through the pastures. BP makes his way out of the barn and waves you off to let you know he’d gotten the message. You take note of the quad coming down the hill as well, your father on board in tow after the dogs. The dogs are easily the first to arrive, Percy leaping at you in an attempt to lick at your face. There’s a white bundle of fur behind him, and you have to assume it’s Greater Dog without his armour. The mid sized canine is attempting to bark excitedly, however it’s coming out more like ‘borf’ than an actual barking sound. This makes you laugh as you lean down to scratch the puffball behind the ears. He borfs some more at this, and tries to climb up on you. 

“Okay, you are pretty cute.”

You smile and turn to open the door, letting the dogs inside. Both canines bound past you, tumbling through the door at a hurried pace as they make their way into the kitchen. Burgerpants is the next to arrive, tossing his lit cigarette at the ground as he climbs the steps to the porch. You frown at him, putting your hands on your hips and giving him a mom-like glare. He catches your eye, turning quickly to step on the cigarette butt before picking it up and pocketing it. That’s more like it. He turns up the steps a second time, giving you an apologetic look and you wave him off, willing him to mind his manners about the property.

He makes his way past you and into the doorway, kicking his boots off on the porch as he heads inside. You turn back towards the driveway to see your father parking the four wheeler near the barn. He turns the vehicle off, climbing off of it and making his way across the driveway to the house. When he gets to the porch he stops to ruffle your hair, which you scrunch your nose at and grumble in response to. He chuckles lightly and kicks his boots off before heading inside.

You follow quickly behind, shutting the door behind you and making your way through the hall into the kitchen. The table is completely set and plates are made, each one heaped with spaghetti. Jenny had just finished dishing everything out as the two of you make your way in to take a seat. You find an empty spot between Sans and Fuku, and your dad takes his seat at the head of the table. Oh gosh, you wondered if monsters were religious in any sense. Your parents were dedicated christians, and prayed before every meal. Your father looks over the group quickly, before speaking.

“Thank you lord for this meal, and thank you for our guests, it’s wonderful to have monsters and humans interacting in peace. Amen.”

The rest of the table mumbles an Amen, as if on cue. BP appears to be used to this, and the others caught on quickly. Sans can sense the tension coming from you and nudges your leg gently with his knee. Looking over at him, he gives you a reassuring smile and you exhale the breath you’d apparently been holding in. Everyone digs into their meal, and immediately after the first bite Paps speaks up. 

“WOWIE! JENNY THIS IS DELICIOUS! YOU MUST TEACH ME MORE ABOUT PASTA!”

Your mother chuckles in reaction to this. It was just simple spaghetti after all. You smile, and everyone at the table nods their agreement that the pasta was indeed good. Was Paps’ pasta really that bad when he made it in the underground? Oh dear. You stir a bit of the spaghetti around your fork, popping the bite into your mouth.

“Oh, Papyrus dear it’s just spaghetti.”

Your mother finally responds after a few moments.

“We don't have pasta sauce in the underground, we make everything from scratch and well, there’s never been an actual recipe down there. We went off what we knew.”

Undyne perks up between bites, trying not to talk with her mouth full. Everyone else seems to be enjoying their food, Sans included. This was the first time you had seen him actually eat. You try not to stare out of the corner of your eye, but it’s hard not to wonder where that food actually goes. Monsters are unusual. Sans lifts an eye to you and a faint blush crosses your cheeks. You’ve been caught. Again. As usual. Damnit. You shovel more pasta into your face and stare down at your plate in an attempt to avoid the situation, and you hear the skeleton next to you emit a light chuckle. 

Sans knew you were fascinated by him. He was fascinated by you too. Humans were strange creatures. You and all your flesh and organs and stuff. He wasn't quite sure how you worked, but he found you curious. Especially your souls. How bright and powerful they were in comparison to a monster soul. He’d mainly had access to the souls of children in the underground. In total, 8 humans had fallen in the time the monsters were in the underground. There were a total of 7 individual soul traits which had been discovered. However, what made humans fascinating, was the fact that an adult soul was never just made up of one trait. 

When monsters came to the surface they discovered that adult souls tended to take on multiple soul traits, usually all seven in one way or another, in different quantities which represented that human’s personality within their soul. Sans hadn't told you what your soul looked like yet, however he was certain of one thing. It was a brilliant representation of you. He still didn't understand why he was so fond of you, but he wasn't complaining, he enjoyed your company. You had warmed up to him quickly even after everything you had been through. 

The skeleton pulls himself from his thoughts, having been spinning his fork in his spaghetti for the last thirty seconds. He quickly finishes his spaghetti before leaning back lazily in his chair and tucking his hands in his hoodie pockets as usual. You finish off your spaghetti as the rest of the table cleans up their plates as well. Before your mom can even think to get up, you and Fuku are on your feet gathering the plates. They’re in the sink rinsed and ready for the dishwasher in no time, Fuku standing by and opting out of rinsing the plates.

“I’d offer to help, but I don't have gloves… and you know, the whole fire thing.”

She giggles and you smile at her over your shoulder. As you finishing rinsing the last dish, an idea pops into your head.

“Hey Fuku, after this we should get everyone together for a Mettaton movie or something. My parents will probably be running to town, but there’s a huge tv in the guest house.”

The fire elemental seems almost too cheerful at that idea.

“Oh my god that’s an awesome idea. I haven't watched one of those movies in forever!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come visit me on Tumblr if you'd like to chat more about the fic beyond just commenting here, I love meeting you guys and talking!:  
> [peaceey.tumblr.com](http://peaceey.tumblr.com/)


	16. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's movie night on the farm. Enjoy some cute fluff and some nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay holy shit. I am SOOOOO sorry this took so long to get this update out. My muse literally went on vacation without telling me and I'd been stumbling through this chapter for days on end with no hope. But it's done! and I'm so glad because it means I can move on to something more adventurous for our gang. 
> 
> I really hope writing the future chapters for this dont take as long as this last one did. But please bare with me if they do. Anyways, have some fluff, I put plenty of it in here for ya.

You’d honestly wanted to go riding. But you knew better. Pistol had been on the road for the last several days with you and prior to that he’d been bouncing between the boarding facility and traveling around the country with you. He was probably enjoying being in a familiar place for once and you couldn't rightfully just go jump on him when he needed the break. Not to mention Fuku had said it takes a day for Evelyn to settle in. You could ride tomorrow. No need to rush.

After dinner you’d chatted for a bit with everyone before your parents announced that they needed to head to town to get the order of feed. You wonder why they didn't go earlier, but see them out anyways. Fuku had pitched the idea of Mettaton movies to the rest of your group and everyone thought it was a good plan. Alphys had even suggested an anime marathon if everyone was up for it afterwards. You giggled at the thought, and the way the small yellow dinosaur’s eye’s lit up as she spoke about the animated movies she brought along with her “just in case”.

You’d offered for Burgerpants to join you, but he politely declined, saying that he and GD had things that needed tended to around the farm. Sans tells you not to worry about it, and that BP wasn't fond of Mettaton or his fame. Something about an old friendship gone sour. You make a note to yourself to question BP about it later, maybe he’d be willing to tell you a little more about himself. 

The remaining six of you reluctantly move from your seats at the dinner table. With everyone content after a satisfying meal it was almost hard for you all to make the trek back across the yard to the guest house. You grumble about eating too much and loop an arm around Fuku’s shoulders as you make your way through the side door and into the yard. The fire elemental laughs, looping her arm around your waist as the two of you support one another. Apparently food did not affect the monsters the way it affected you, they didn't seem overly full and as tired as you now were. Then again you hadn't had a home cooked meal in ages, and your mom’s cooking almost always did you in after being on the road for weeks.

After changing into some shorts and a comfy t-shirt, you find yourself slowly stumbling back down the stairs to the living room where everyone else had already gathered. Alphys and Undyne were curled up on the loveseat, cuddled against each other under a blanket. You exhale a silent ‘awh’ and smile at them as you move into the room. Fuku has opted to take the recliner, feet propped up and she’s made a blanket burrito for herself. How comfy! That left the couch to you and the skeleton brothers. Each one had opted to steal the arms of the couch, leaving the middle seat open to you. Okay fine. 

You plop down in the middle of the couch, slouching down as lazily as physically possible, and Sans looks over at you with his casual grin as if appreciating your laziness. It would seem that somebody had already put one of your several mettaton movies on, so thankfully you wouldn't have to do that. Glancing to your right you notice Papyrus staring at the television with stars practically in his eyes. _He must be a huge Mettaton fan_. You muse to yourself lightly as a smile crosses your features. Sans nudges you gently, and you lean close to him as he whispers to you.

“paps and mettaton are pretty close.”

It occurs to you that the skeleton has been answering everything you’d been thinking to yourself. You really hope he can't read your thoughts. You frown slightly and whisper back at him.

“Please tell me you can't read my mind or something?”

He has to stifle the laugh that nearly erupts from his mouth. He closes his eye sockets momentarily as he leans back against the couch.

“nah kiddo, you’re just really easy to read.”

This makes you frown even more. You’d always been told you wore your emotions on your sleeves. People had no problems reading you or knowing what was going on. This tended to be a problem specifically when you didn't want people to know what was going through your head. You sigh softly, and Sans responds by wrapping a bony arm around your shoulders and pulling you to him. Scrunching your nose up in an irritated fashion, you bury your face into his side, getting comfortable. Fuku peers over at the two of you with a grin.

“Secrets don't make friends you two!”

She teases to the both of you, her voice playful. You respond with a rather audible groan, lifting a hand to flip her off. The fire elemental responds with a rather loud laugh, rolling her eyes at you as she snuggles deeper into her blanket burrito. Alphys snuggles closer to Undyne, and the fish monster peers over at you and your skeleton pillow, quirking a brow as she grins.

“I feel like we’ve missed something, do you two need to tell us something?”

Alphys brings a clawed hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Oh she’d expected this to happen, you two were just so cute together. When Fuku began teasing you at the fire the other night, she’d known Sans had been looking at you. Undyne’s voice is heavily laced with sarcasm, and it’s obvious that she too is in on whatever is going through her dinosaur girlfriend’s mind. Both Sans and your own faces flush their respective blush colors as you groan out a response to Undyne.

“Oh god not you guys too…”

All the while, Papyrus had been paying more mind to the television up until this point. The tall skeleton frowns, turning his attention away from the screen as he speaks.

“SANS I WILL GIVE YOU MY DATING HANDBOOK LATER, THE MOVIE IS ON.”

His loud voice cuts through the air and you can't help but laugh at that one. Sans’ cheekbones are completely a lewd shade of blue and he’s trying to hide his face in his hoodie to no avail. You peek up at him with a grin, your own face red and you sit up straight, running a hand through your hair awkwardly. Sans exhales a held breath as you pull away from him, laughing the blush off of his cheeks. 

You all settle in to watching the movie, and it’s not long before you’re leaning against the smaller skeleton again. He’s tense at first as you lean against his side, resting your head on his shoulder, but exhales a shaky sigh and relaxes a few minutes later. By the time you’re halfway through the movie he’s got his arm around you again and you’re starting to drift off to sleep. Mom’s spaghetti was just too much for you after all. 

He’s fallen sound asleep long before you do, however, his cranium tilted to the side against the back of the couch and a sleepy smile plastered on his face. You drowsily press against his side to get comfortable as the sound of the room drowns off into nothing. Of course you’d fall asleep cuddling with the skeleton. It was bound to happen.

As the movie comes to an end, the others quietly agree that they’d rather head off to bed than stay up and watch movies. They all wanted nothing more than to sleep in an actual bed. Papyrus carefully gets up from the couch, not wanting to disturb either you or Sans. Fuku stifles a snicker as she unfolds herself from her blanket burrito and stands up from her chair. She opts to sacrifice her blanket, tossing it gently over you and your skeleton pillow on the couch before turning to head up the stairs towards her bedroom. Alphys and Undyne stretch before standing and making their way out of the living room as well. Paps is the last to head up the stairs, after making sure that you and Sans are most certainly asleep with no intentions of getting up any time soon.

\--

_Tattered red cloth._

_No, not again. He was too late! Run to the material, collapse on his knees in the snow. Gather it, tuck it tightly to his chest. Anger, rage, pain. The dust falls from the material, slipping through his fingers. How could this be happening again? Why was he being forced to see it?_

_Wrap the scarf around his neck, get up and move forward. This can't end this way. This didn't make any sense._

_Bright light. Sickening laughter._

_The familiar yellow tiled floor of the judgement hall. Marble pillars. Deep breaths. Grasp the scarf tightly and say a prayer that this is the last fight._

_Red eyes. Sharpened knife._

_Determination._

 

You grumble as your body begins to wake up. Oh god, why does your back hurt so badly? Nuzzling deeper against the surface you’d fallen asleep on, you inhale deeply. That smell… old barn, dusty things… Oh shit Sans! You jerk upright, opening your eyes quickly. You must’ve fallen asleep during the movie last night. He’s still asleep… however it’s clear to you he’s not sleeping very soundly.

His eye sockets seem to be forced shut, his usually gentle smile forced back into a rather worried one and there’s sweat beading along his forehead. How hadn't you noticed him shaking while you were cuddled up against him? Why didn't this wake you up? You frown, tucking your legs up underneath you on the couch as you turn to face the skeleton and attempt to wake him up. You reach out to shake his shoulder gently, and he spurs awake under your touch. 

Sans opens his eyes qin a hurried fashion, an expression of pure horror on his face. His usual pin prick pupils are gone, and his left eye is raging with that blue glow you’d seen previously during your interaction with Luke at the rodeo. Sans doesn't appear to be “all there” at the moment though. There’s an icy sensation pricking your skin as magic crackles throughout the living room. A faint blue glow surrounds the skeleton’s fist momentarily, and the hum of his magic intensifies as you feel the hue begin to surround you. Out of instinct you squeal, shaking his arm hard.

“Sans!”

His chest is heaving, sweat dripping down the side of his skull. He blinks his eye sockets quickly in response to hearing his name, the glow dissipating from around his hand and the static which had gathered in the room slowly following suit. Your ears pop from the gathered tension in the room. It could be compared to being in a building when a tornado is brewing outside. The increase in pressure was highly noticeable and as it subsided, you can't help but exhale a shaky breath to steady yourself.

Sans clears his throat as his eyes return to their normal pin pricks, the skeleton pulling himself away from you as he scrambled back against the arm of the couch.

“m-morgan?!”

His smile is painted with worry and you allow him a few moments to steady his breathing. How does he even process oxygen? He doesn't have lungs. Not the time for that line of thought Morgan. Concern is heavy upon your features as you gaze at him with nearly desperate eyes.

“It’s okay… you were having a nightmare. Everything is alright now…”

You reach out to put a hand on his arm, fingers brushing across the cool ivory of his bones. Sans exhales a shaky sigh as his expression seems to fall. He never wanted you to see him like that. Especially not so soon. God, what if he had hurt you? His gaze falls to his pink slippers as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

“i didn't hurt you, did i?”

He sounds just as worried as he looks. You allow your body to relax as you lean back against the couch and gaze over at the now blank screen of the television.

“No, not at all. You seemed really worked up though… I’ve never felt your magic that strong before.”

You let a gentle chuckle follow your words, expressing that you’re not upset with him for using magic on you. You knew he was worried you’d be afraid of him, especially if he ended up trying to hurt you in his sleep. But the reality of the situation was that you understood his nightmares. It was partially why you’d basically become an alcoholic after the incident with Luke last year. Whenever you went to bed sober, you were forced to watch yourself re-live the pain of being abused. Sometimes it was first person, and you were being abused all over again. Other times you were watching from afar, helpless to do anything but watch as he hurt you. Sometimes it was that night all over again, sometimes it was worse. Tonight had been the first sober night that you’d slept soundly in quite a long time. 

However now was not the time to pour out your emotions to the skeleton again. He needed you to help bring him back down from his own demons. Looking at the clock you realize it’s barely 5 am. Although usually an early riser you had nowhere to be today and could desperately use the sleep after the weekend you’d had. Grabbing for the blanket Fuku had left for you, you nudge Sans gently as you scoot over to the other side of the couch.

“C'mere you.”

He quirks a brow at you, wondering what in the world could possibly be going through your mind. A gentle smile plays across your features as you lean forward just enough to grab his hoodie sleeve and tug him towards you. With a grumble, the skeleton obliges your wishes, scooting back against you. Sitting between your legs, with his back gently pressed against your chest. You mumble a “mhm” of approval before pulling the blanket back over the two of you.

Nothing calms the shakes more than a scalp massage. His head is laid gently against your breasts, and that faint blue glow is back on his cheeks but he’s trying to hide it. This is awkward. You bring your hands up to his shoulders, starting at the base of his skull and working slowly up over the back of his head. Rubbing your thumbs in slow circles, you can feel the tension slowly leaving your skeleton companion’s body. He exhales a groan, pleased with the feeling. You giggle.

“What, does that feel good bone boy?”

The corners of your lips are pulled back into a smile. He’s tracing circles over your knee cap with his fingertips. He nods in approval, and you continue to work like this on him until you feel his body completely relax and his breathing evens out. It doesn't take long for him to fall back asleep.

You’re worried about the fact he’s having nightmares like this, but it’s a discussion you’d have with him sometime in the near future. Right now you’re just content to have his company. And happy that you’d slept soundly for the first time in weeks. You take a deep breath and exhale a gentle sigh as you feel sleep beginning to call for you again as well. Your eyes are growing heavier by the minute and you lean back against the couch, giving into sleep the next time it calls for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come pester me on tumblr!:
> 
>  
> 
> [peaceey.tumblr.com](http://peaceey.tumblr.com/)


	17. Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you wake up with a skeleton on your chest and you teach sans how to brush a horse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOO BOY.
> 
> HELLO EVERYONE. I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU. 
> 
> I've been in a weird place lately. My muse for this story has been all out of wack and it took me SO LONG to write this chapter. I was not happy with it and rewrote it like four times. I apologize for the wait time, and I can not guarantee how fast updates will be on this, but I wanted to get this chapter out to you. I desperately want to get this relationship moving and get these guys back on the road and onto more rodeos and ugh i have so much i want to do with them and just... my muse hasnt been agreeing with me. But I want you all to know I havent forgotten about you. and I am still writing this. I said I wouldnt let it abruptly end. and I meant it. I will do this story justice if it takes me a year to do it. So thank you for bearing with me through this.
> 
> ANYWAYS HAVE THIS CHAPTER.

The next morning you awake to a very warm skeleton hugging your midsection, his skull pressed between your breasts as a very amused Fuku is poking at your face. As your eyes flutter open, you register that the green fire elemental is grinning profusely at you, but it doesn't immediately occur to you _why_ she’s grinning at you. You’re incredibly groggy as you move to stretch your arms and move your legs, realizing you’re pinned to the couch. What the? You glance down at Sans, your cheeks flushing red before you glare back up at the fire elemental standing before you.

Oh, you want to freak out, this is embarrassing! Sans is practically drooling on your chest! Fuku giggles at you, winking as she turns to wander off towards the kitchen, where a very awake Papyrus seems to already be cooking breakfast. The scent of bacon hits your nostrils and it occurs to you that you really need to get up. You peer down at the skeleton once more, raising a hand to his head as you poke at his skull gently. 

Sans emits a groan, nuzzling deeper against your cleavage. Well, at least you must be comfy, right? You frown and poke harder. The skeleton responds by tightening his grip around your waist, clinging on and refusing to let go. Damnit bone boy, this is not the time to be cuddly. You exhale a sigh, clearing your throat before you start trying to verbally get the skeleton to wake up. Your voice starts out quiet.

“Sanssss...”

You whisper, sing-song like, as you continue to poke at his skull. Still no real reaction from him. His breathing has changed, however, it’s no longer even and relaxed like before. You’re no dummy. You move your right hand down to his ribs, and try poking there. He starts to squirm as you raise your voice a bit more.

“Oh Sansyyyyy...”

Okay skeleton, can’t keep faking it forever. You increase your poking to tickling, and glance down at his face once more. Even though his face itself is buried between your breasts, it’s obvious that he’s clearly blushing. He’s trying to avoid the inevitable fact that he has to face the music here. You emit a giggle, rolling your eyes playfully as you shimmy underneath of him.

“Come on bone boy, I know you’re awake. Stop _playing dead_.”

You can feel a grin spreading across his face, and his body starts to shake as he emits a chuckle in response to your shitty pun. Slowly but surely, he loosens his grip around your waist, lifting his face from between your organic milk bags and peering at you with a dopey gaze. His face is dusted that familiar cyan blue, and he’s grinning like a fool. You quirk a brow at him.

“Well, you slept soundly.”

He unwraps his arms from around you, slowly rolling to his side and sitting up. He scratches the back of his skull in an embarrassed fashion. 

“i guess you could say i was _dead_ to the world.”

You exhale a slight laugh as you sit up, finally able to stretch. Sleeping like that had made you rather stiff. You shift your legs off the couch, standing and stretching your back out with an audible ‘pop’ as the tension is relieved. Sans peers at you, curious of the sound as his face seems to turn an even brighter shade of blue. You glance over at him, realizing what you’d just done.

“Oh, sorry. Does that bother you?”

He shakes his head, but questions you on the subject.

“what was that?”

You grab for the blanket that had been covering the both of you, folding it idly as you answer his question.

“When humans sit still for too long tension builds up in the joints. When we stretch, it makes a popping sound. It’s the bones realigning themselves in the proper position after being sat that way for so long.”

The skeleton eyes you up momentarily as you fold the blanket into a small square, seeming to mull over your answer in his head. 

“so… your bones do that?”

He seems to drag out that sentence a bit, confusion in his voice. You aren't so sure why he isnt really getting this. You tuck the folded blanket over your arm and gaze back in his direction once more. The smell of bacon has become overly intoxicating in the air at this point. You try to ignore it.

“What, don’t yours?”

You quirk a brow at the skeleton who had yet to even get off the couch. He really could be incredibly lazy when he wanted to. His eyes meet your own and he shakes his head slowly.

“nu uh.. you humans are weird.”

With that he groans and reaches for the remote, flipping on the television to whatever happened to be on before you guys had put on that movie the night before. There happened to be a local news channel on, and they were just finishing up the weather report for the day. Your eyes drift to the screen momentarily as you seem to almost get lost in the monotone sound of the reporter’s voice before you remember that you wanted to go see what Papyrus was up to in the kitchen. And well, you had a bone to pick with Fuku. 

You take a deep breath, exhaling a curt sigh and placing the folded blanket down on the arm of the couch before turning away from the television. Sans doesn't seem to take much notice as you head off in the direction of the kitchen.

\--

Fuku had done a good job of avoiding you most of the morning, however she couldn't avoid your nagging forever. You knew she’d want to ride at some point, and well, you had plans to get your friendly neighborhood comedian on a horse today. You’re currently dragging the skeleton to the barn by the sleeve of his hoodie, against his will. 

“c’mon kid, do we really gotta do this?”

Fuku meets you at the barn, having come out to see what the commotion was all about. You toss an accusative glare in her direction, and she glances away with a smirk on her face. She knows damn well she’s guilty for making fun of you this morning. 

“Yes we really gotta do this, I wanna see your bony butt on a horse!”

He’s making this much harder than it needs to be, dragging his feet slowly and pretending to put up a fight just to make things dramatic. Fuku leans against the door of the barn, crossing her arms and watching as you pull the skeleton into the aisle way. 

“What skels, afraid you might _break a bone_?”

You hold back a snort in response to that. Okay Fuku, you can have that one. It was good. Sans grins wider and retorts back.

“guess that was pretty _humerous_. but you’ll have to use a _femur_ to be as good as me.”

Fuku straightens up, following the two of you into the barn as she giggles in response to Sans’ puns. He’s too much sometimes, even for the fire elemental. You roll your eyes at the skeleton and finally come to a stop, releasing your grip on his sleeve. He immediately tucks his hands into his pockets and kicks at the ground with his sneakers. You’d forced him to put on any kind of footwear aside from his slippers, and he protested when you tried to get him into cowboy boots. He’d finally agreed to wear his shoes that he wore during the rodeo when he had to work. Just some simple tennis shoes. They didn't have a heel, but at least it was better than slippers.

You’d decided that as revenge for him waking up on you the way he did this morning that you’d be putting his bony butt on a horse. Thankfully, your parents had just the horse. A smile creeps upon your face as you step around the skeleton, to the stall behind him. Inside the stall is a somewhat shaggy looking mare, who appears to be in great condition for her age. You swing the stall door open and open your arms out wide as you step into the stall in the direction of the horse. Any other horse would have run and hid, this mare however just continued chewing at her hay, seemingly unphased at your loud display as you wrapped yourself around her neck.

She wasn't anything special, just a dinky brown little mare barely larger than a pony, and stockier than most. But she was your pony. This ancient looking chestnut was your first horse, and she’d been part of your life for as long as you can remember. The creature exhales a gentle sigh as you bury your fingers into her long, shaggy mane and press yourself against her.

“I’d like you both to meet Dixie. She was my first horse, and she’s now a very much so retired lesson pony that the kids love to brush and love on.”

You pull away from Dixie’s neck after you’ve satisfied your need for the hug, before standing back and patting her on the shoulder. A sneaky smile had made it’s way across your features and it was clear that Sans didn't like the look on your face. His cheshire grin faltered slightly and he tugged at the collar of his t-shirt in a nervous fashion before speaking.

“aw jeez kid, i don't wanna _tire_ her out.”

It’s clear he’s not keen on this whole riding idea. Oh you’re not letting him get out of it this easily! Stepping back to the door, you lean against the wall and cross your arms.

“Oh no bone boy, you’re not getting out of this. Dixie here will take great care of you, I promise!”

With that you step out of the stall, sliding the door closed behind you but neglecting to latch it. Paying little mind to the nervous skeleton behind you and the snickering fire elemental next to him, you skip off in the direction of the tack room. In a matter of moments you’d gathered up your old barrel saddle, complete with a pink bling tack set (Yep, your mom had bought you a fancy pink bling tack set to run Dixie in as a child, and you’d loved it.), as well as a saddle pad and Dixie’s bridle. You’d hoisted the saddle up over your shoulder, bridle hooked over the saddle horn and saddle pad tucked under your other arm. You quickly scoop up a brush box on your way back towards the door with your open hand.

Leaving the tack room, you quickly make your way back to the stall only to find your two friends still standing there, although Sans had moved closer to the stall and was now petting Dixie’s nose through the bars while Fuku leaned against the stall across the aisle. You drop the saddle onto the rack in front of the stall, and drop the pad onto the ground, setting the brush box next to it. Thank god BP kept the aisles spotless, or else you’d be cleaning that pad later. With a grin, you plant your hands on your hips and turn to face the skeleton.

“Well, you ready to get started?”

Sans turned to you, exhaling a sigh. He couldn’t see a way out of this, so he may as well play along. He could teleport away, but you’d just find him and drag him back. So what was the point? Shrugging, he nods.

“ _tibia_ honest, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

You let out a rather ugly snort in response to that, before tugging the stall door open once more and motioning towards the grooming box.

“Well the grab a brush, she isn't going to brush herself.”

There was a firm dominance in your voice, you were having a ball pushing the skeleton around in an area where he clearly had little knowledge. You couldn’t seem to get the shit eating grin off of your face. Sans narrowed his eyes at you a bit, but obliged. He moved over to the entrance of the stall, leaning down to grab the only brush he recognized… the hairbrush. You quirked a brow at him and cross your arms.

“Sans, that’s for the mane and tail, are you sure you want to start there? Maybe try the curry comb?”

He tilts his head to look at you, a clear look of annoyance on his face. What in the world was a curry comb? He drops the hairbrush back into the box, fishing out a soft brush and holding it up to you for inspection. You shake your head and sigh, leaning down and plucking the curry comb from the box. Handing it to him you grin and take the soft brush from him. He takes the curry comb from you in an irritated fashion before stepping into the stall. You quickly drop the soft brush back into the box before following him into the stall.

Dixie does little more than lift her head to acknowledge the skeleton’s entry into the stall. You coax the uneasy skeleton over to Dixie’s side and take the curry comb from him, proceeding to rub it over the mare’s coat in circles in an attempt to show him how it worked. Sans eyed you as you loosened the dirt from Dixie’s coat, taking note of how even though you were rubbing in circles, you collected all of the dirt by stroking in the direction of the hair every few circles. After a few rounds of this, you stop and hand him back the brush.

“Think you can handle that?”

It’s hard to hide the laughter in your voice. Sans’ cheshire grin seems to widen a bit as he takes the brush from you, stepping closer to Dixie and imitating what you’d just done moments before.

“yeah i think i can _handle_ it.”

You roll your eyes a bit, fighting back laughter.

“Sans that wasn’t even a pun.”

“you still laughed.”

It was true. His horrible humor was one of your favorite traits about the short skeleton. No matter how much you tried to deny it, you loved his jokes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHERE I HAVE BEEN, I'VE BEEN RPING ON TUMBLR:
> 
> peaceey.tumblr.com


End file.
